ToyNews Issue 150 May 2014 by Future PLC

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No. 150 z May 2014

Retail z Licensing z Pre-School z Marketing 18 ToyShopUK Which social media channel do independent retailers ﬁnd most useful to their business?

25 Buyers Guide 2014 We highlight all the toy retail buyers that you need to know, on the High Street and online

31 Master plans It’s Toymaster time again – we ask some suppliers for their best show memories

The Retail Issue

38 Mystery Shopper Which retailer came out on top when our secret consumer headed to the city of Norwich?

This month’s spotlight on the High Street sees The Entertainer’s Stuart Grant take over editing duties and he doesn’t hold back with his questioning of high proﬁle execs…

WELCOME

CONTENTS

COMMENT

Regulars 07 10 10 11 12 14 16 18 74

Issue: 150 May 2014

MEET THE TEAM Samantha Loveday Editor samantha.loveday@intentmedia.co.uk

Billy Langsworthy Deputy Editor billy.langsworthy@intentmedia.co.uk

Robert Hutchins Staff Writer robert.hutchins@intentmedia.co.uk

Jodie Holdway Sales Manager jodie.holdway@intentmedia.co.uk

Florence Beaumont Production Executive ﬂorence.beaumont@intentmedia.co.uk

Tom Carpenter Designer tom.carpenter@intentmedia.co.uk

Lisa Carter Publisher lisa.carter@intentmedia.co.uk

Editorial: 01992 535646 Advertising: 01992 535647 www.toynews-online.biz

News Campaign of the Month Playtime NPD Analysis Industry Movers Industry Opinion Good Toy Guide Toy Shop UK Jon Salisbury

The Retail Issue 20 The Entertainer Asks... Stuart Grant ﬁres the questions at execs from key suppliers 25 Guide to Toy Retail 2014 31 Toymaster special 38 Mystery Shopper: Norwich Features 41 Big Interview: Simba Smoby 43 Supplier Focus: Jakks Paciﬁc 44 Invention Special: Dragons’ Den 57 Sector Guide: Action, Building, Blasting & More 69 Sector Guide: Dolls & Accessories Licensing.biz 47 News Pre-school (sponsored by VTech Baby) 51 News 52 A Parent Blogger’s View 55 Supplier Focus: Bigjigs

Intent Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Associations AUDITED CIRCULATION: Average Net Circulation: 6,106 July 2012 to June 2013. ToyNews circulation is 17.5% higher than its closest competitor. ToyNews has 100% named circulation and 0% duplication.

RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD

ToyNews takes soundings from its Retail Advisory Board on toy industry issues. The current members are:

Stuart Grant, The Entertainer

Fiona MurrayYoung, Toys R Us

Andrea Abbis, Argos

Brian Simpson, Toytown

Clare Barton, Sainsbury’s

Neil Mitchell, Shop Direct

Annalise Quest, Harrods

Steph Strike, Asda

Ben Redhead, Firebox

Steven Bradley, Boots

Helen Gourley, Toy Hub

Miles Penhallow, Play-Room

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Turning a corner The Entertainer’s buying director, Stuart Grant, steps into the editor’s chair for our special Retail Issue

This year we’ve got the movies, we have the product, the economy is starting to get back on track, the dollar is heading in the right direction, so there are no more excuses.

ANOTHER YEAR is in full swing and I believe we are turning a corner. In an industry that is driven by brands and products, the lineup looks to be the strongest we have seen in the last five years. In the last three years, we have experienced children’s focus moving away from core toys and into the tablet market. We have enjoyed some of this spend through brands such as LeapPad, Innotab and Kurio, but mostly this turnover has been lost to other industries. This trend seems to be slowing down though, with poor like for like sales seen in Q4 and with the introduction and relative ‘failure’ of the Samsung Galaxy children’s tablet. This should shift the global consumer electronics manufacturers’ focus away from our target market and bring back into our court some high ticket spend. We have also now seen through to the other side of the dizzy heights of Skylanders demand, which again moved children’s spending power to another industry. Hopefully we will see this demand move back into traditional action figures. In addition to these positive consumer demand changes, we also have the best line-up of movies. If we look back on 2013, there were four major movie launches to drive our sales in the first three quarters (Iron Man, Despicable Me 2, Monsters University and Planes). Unfortunately due to a variety of factors these failed to drive the demand needed to excite children into filling their Christmas lists with movie product. The Amazing Spider-man 2 product and movie release will then give way to Postman Pat, How To Train Your Dragon 2 and Transformers 4. July/August will bring us The LEGO Movie DVD release and then into the build up for the Michael Bay-directed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. I haven’t even mentioned Planes 2, Guardians of the Galaxy and Paddington. Probably most importantly, we have an unbelievable line-up of Christmas stars to drive us through the golden quarter. It was interesting to learn from NPD at Toy Fair why they believe the industry has seen a downturn and which areas of the market they think are suffering the most. It was of no surprise that the sub £5 products had a tough year, but reassuring that the market is growing at the £50+ price point. This should give us confidence that all is not lost to games consoles and Apple and that we can sell higher price points. This year we have the product to do it. This year we’ve got the movies, we have the product, the economy is starting to get back on track, the dollar is heading in the right direction, so there are no more excuses... best of luck! May 05

NEWS

Innovation the secret as Air Hogs celebrates 15 years of success Top selling RC brand lining up new products as it looks to stay at leading edge of technology in sector By Billy Langsworthy AIR HOGS is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, and the company puts this period of success down to a constant need for innovation. Over the years the Spin Master RC brand has produced bestselling products including the Sky Shark, the Vectron Wave and the wall climbing Zero Gravity Laser. “Air Hogs has remained successful for 15 years by embracing innovation in powered vehicles,” read a statement from the Air Hogs Brand Team. “Platforms such as our Air Pressure planes, Zero Gravity Laser and Vectron Wave provided new and exciting ways for kids to play.”

Ronnen Harary, CEO of Spin Master Toys, added: “Air Hogs is about breakthrough ways for people to experience flight,” while Kevin Jones, MD of Spin Master Toys Europe, told ToyNews: “The key ingredients for success have been innovation led technology and first to market product execution supported by dynamic TV commercials.” In the 15 years since Air Hogs first hit shelves, Spin Master has seen the RC category become more crowded, a factor the firm believes makes the success of the brand something to be proud of. “The category has become more competitive, consumer expectations are higher and the competition from non toy products has increased,” added Jones.

JONES: “Consumer expectations in the category are higher”

“This all means that the brand has had to meet these demands and deliver at an ever increasing level. Air Hogs has continued to be the number one brand in RC – the consumer has voted and the brand continues to deliver.” The Air Hogs brand team added: “The greatest

change in the toy industry is the accessibility of technology. Both on the consumer side, where customers are researching and engaging with brands in exciting different ways, as well as the product side, where toy ideas that would not have been possible ﬁve years ago are now a reality.

“When Air Hogs launched it was with one ground breaking item, put together by a small team in an era before the internet was so ubiquitous.” Next to come is a new range of products set to land in 2015, with an idea to make the next 15 years just as successful. Jones added: “The next step for the brand is to stay one step ahead by demanding new innovation and staying at the leading edge of technology. We will achieve this by working closely with our inventor partners who have been a key part in the success of the brand, delivering on product performance, and delivering powerful marketing campaigns.” Spin Master: 01628 535000

Retail Advisory Board unsure on World Cup sales lift

Fingers are crossed for a tournament boost, but some toy retailers will be staying away

By Robert Hutchins RETAILERS ACROSS the UK may be gearing up for a summer of football, but members of the ToyNews Retail Advisory Board remain skeptical that the event could mirror the World Cup success that reportedly boosted the UK toy trade by £14m in 2010. “The World Cup will be an important event for Shop Direct’s digital department store brands but not

necessarily for toys,” Shop Direct’s buyer of boys toys, games and outdoor toys, Neil Mitchell told ToyNews. “Our World Cup toy offer will be tight and focused on outdoor products such as goals and balls, backpacks and water bottles and collectable ﬁgures with both England and Brazil branding.” ToyTown’s Brian Simpson, meanwhile, said he would be staying away from the merchandise.

“We stay away from World Cup merchandise simply because it’s dead stock as soon as the event ﬁnishes,” he offered. “If you get your order quantities wrong, you could lose proﬁt that you made on the items you sold. Most of the types of items that are done relating to the World Cup are carried in the major retailers and grocers, so we just let them get on with it.”

However, Sainsbury’s says the event will be a massive opportunity. Jon Biddle, leisure buyer, said: “Official England and Brazil merchandise will be big, and there is a feeling that England could surprise a few people.” Other sporting events could also help to boost the toy sector. Toy Hub’s Helen Gourley said: “We have lots of sporting events going on in Scotland, with the

Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup. We have already seen a strong start to outdoor toy sales.”

Available to order now! view our complete range at

www.cartamundi.com Units 8 - 17 Sandhurst, Kings Road, Charﬂeets Industrial Estate, Canvey Island, Essex, SS8 0QY. Tel: 01268 511522, Fax: 01268 513109 or e-mail retail@cartamundi.co.uk become a fan at www.facebook.com/CartamundiUK

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May 07

NEWS

The Toy Store aiming to take on Hamleys

Company’s London heartland is the target for ambitious Gulf Greetings-owned toy retailer as it plans UK move later in 2014

By Billy Langsworthy ITS PR machine is already in overdrive ahead of its launch into the UK market, and now The Toy Store has told ToyNews it is looking to take on Hamleys in its central London heartland. Owned by Gulf Greetings, The Toy Store has been in operation for ten years and has 11 stores across UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Quatar. The Store, with an emphasis on creating a memorable in-store experience, is now looking to open a London outlet by the end of 2014, before expanding to other prime locations in the UK. “We’re not reinventing the wheel,” Mark Handley, group commercial director at Gulf Greetings, told

ToyNews. “We’re just going back to what toy retailing used to be back in the day. That visit to Hamleys was a magical experience and one that you remember. “Nowadays in the UK market, you’ve got the likes of Toys R Us: out of town, big warehouses stacked with toys. You walk in, pick the toy you want and walk out again. There’s no experience in there at all. “We try and focus on the experience. Hamleys do it to a certain degree but there are not many stores and Hamleys has changed over the years.” And Handley is conﬁdent that The Toy Store can shake up the UK market. “Hamleys has had it easy for too long in London. Nobody has ever gone and

competed against them. We got offered the site two doors down from Hamleys when we went over there two weeks ago. Not that we’d take it because Hamleys is off pitch anyway. Oxford Street is where you need to be. The site we’ve got located will be a signiﬁcant store and make an impact, deﬁnitely.”

The Toy Store is now in the process of securing up its ﬁrst location. “We’re looking at Oxford Street, Bluewater or Westﬁeld to start with. We’re going to go into the malls because that’s where we’ve come from and it’s the market that we know. We’re looking at the major ones like The Trafford Centre,

Meadowhall and Leeds Trinity. Ideally, as soon as we’re able to secure a site, we’re ready to go in terms of a franchising point of view as well.” The Toy Store will also operate a website in the UK, something it has not been able to do in the Middle East. info@thetoystore.com

NEWS

Cartamundi expects Wings Around the Globe to soar Firm brings its multi-game format to latest Disney property, Planes

Possibly the best in wooden toys (and plastic) MD

By Billy Langsworthy CARTAMUNDI BELIEVES its Planes: Wings Around the Globe Game Box will be a hit for the ﬁrm following prior successes with other Disney properties. Wings Around the Globe is a three-in-one game box containing the Wings Around the Globe Action game, the Planes Action game and the Planes Happy Families game. Cartamundi has already successfully applied the multigame format to Disney properties in the past. “The Game Box is a very popular format across many of the licensed properties we work with, especially Disney, with which it has proved especially successful,” Trudi Bishop, head of marketing and licensing at Cartamundi Group, told ToyNews. “This multi-game format has already been a hit for the Disney Princess and Minnie Mouse brands and we expect Planes to repeat that success.” Planes: Fire & Rescue is set to land in UK cinemas in August and Cartamundi believes this will give all of its Planes titles a sales boost.

“The first Planes film launched many successful licensed products. Demand is clearly high,” continued Bishop. “The new film meets that demand and will further boost it, so yes, we do expect sales of the Wings Around the Globe Game Box and other Planes-related games to increase.” Cartamundi believes the run up to Christmas will prove to be a crucial period for Wings Around the Globe. Bishop added: “Interest will be high hard on the heels of the film sequel and DVD release. Expect, therefore, to see heightened marketing activity around this time, supported by a full PR programme, which will of course include the core Christmas gift guides.” Cartamundi: 01268 511522

Polar Pen heading to toy shops By Billy Langsworthy POLAR MAGNET Pen and Stylus, a Kickstarter hit that raised $817,164 from a target of $14,000, is now available to stock at retail. The product is a pen made up of 13 powerful magnets that comes with a stylus tip for smartphones and tablets. DWSD, the ﬁrm exclusively distributing Polar, deems it ‘a versatile tool, a creative outlet and an excellent gift.’ “DWSD has been formed due to an irritation with the mundane,” said MD Andrew Silverman. “Purely looking at sourcing and delivering only the most innovative or original wow and must have products with the aim to be the only vendor delivering true innovation. The standard and mundane offered

by many others will simply not suffice. “This may well mean limited product ranges, however this keeps DWSD at the forefront of the market place when looking to source truly creative and exciting new products. “The Polar Pen has been an exciting venture and we can see big things globally with this new innovation.’ DWSD: 08452 573005

Supporting

01604 774949 sales@john-crane.co.uk www.john-crane.co.uk

CAMPAIGN OF THE MONTH / PLAYTIME

BOOMco

This spring/summer, Mattel is introducing a new range of dart blasters, with a plethora of innovative products and, of course, a heavyweight launch campaign

CONTACT Mattel: 01628 500 000 April saw Mattel launch its new lifestyle brand BOOMco, an assortment of dart blasters and accessories for indoor and outdoor play. With Smart Stick Darts, Shields and Targets, BOOMco aims to introduce ‘a new way to play with blasters.’

“The launch brings big news to the blaster category with new technology, a fresh brand identity and unexpected product features,” states Mattel. Each BOOMco blaster is air powered and includes a Smart Stick Target and

selection of darts, available in a range of colours and patterns. The range is now hoping to raise the bar with a loaded marketing campaign and extensive boy engagement, covering the realms of digital, media and in-store events.

EXPERIENTIAL The blaster brand will be hitting the road this summer for a national tour targeting key shopping centres in both the UK and Ireland. Kids will have the opportunity to test their blasting skills as they compete to achieve high scores in the BOOMco arena, complete with targets of different levels and a recorded point value system.

DIGITAL Boys will be able to take part in the BOOMco league as well as play games, watch videos, download the official app and check out the full blaster range at BOOM-co.com. Further digital initiatives include a partnership with Bin Weevils and activity with Miniclip and Ventatus.

PRESS ACTIVITY Mattel is encouraging the national press to engage with BOOMco with the launch announced in key youth, national, TV and lifestyle press. Activity also includes a high proﬁle blogger and vlogger review programme, as well as competitions with boys and editorial gift recommendations leading up to Christmas.

MEDIA AND SPONSORSHIP BOOMco is taking to TV this season with a brand spot launched on March 24th. Mattel followed this up with a spring/summer TV driver, titled Twisted Spinner, launched on April 1st. In addition, BOOMco will be sponsoring Cartoon Network every weekend from April through to August.

BLASTERS AND ACCESSORIES The BOOMco spring/summer range will feature the TV advertised Twisted Spinner, with spinning barrel action. The range also includes the Clipﬁre, Farshot and Dual Defenders blasters. Accessories include the Smart Stick Target Assortment, darts and a 2-in-1 Bandolier.

Playtime

Source: BARB 2014

Kids commercial channel shares

This month, Generation Media takes a look at a whole host of children’s commercial channels, and investigates how Disney is stirring up the pre-school pot...

Jan-Feb 2013 This month we examine the effect of Disney Channel and Disney Jr’s commercialisation and subsequent programme changes on kids’ commercial channel shares (Jan-Feb ‘14 vs ‘13). Disney Group now accounts for 20 per cent of

the kids commercial TV viewing market, up from seven per cent in JanFeb 2013. It looks like Disney acquired share from Turner which fell four per cent based on Cartoonito and Boomerang combined; two channels known for their

Jan-Feb 2014 pre school strength and in direct competition with Disney Jr. Similarly Nick, Nick Jr, Nick Jr 2 and Tiny Pop also lost commercial share since competing with Disney Channel and Disney Jr for similar audiences.

Despite these preschool channels increasing or decreasing share, Milkshake has remained static with three per cent share of the kids commercial channel set. This is no doubt a result of the channel airing on free to air platforms.

Following the recent news of CNToo being replaced by Cartoon Net +1, and Pop launching on Freeview, the market will change again. We would expect to see other stations’ share of commercial viewing increase but someone has to lose.

Toy News PlayTime is provided by Generation Media 0207 255 4650 | www.generationmedia.co.uk 10 May

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NPD RESEARCH

Properties

Retail Sales Trends

Best item progression

Easter holiday move hits March sales MARCH 2014 toy sales were heavily hit by the movement of Easter and the school holidays, with value down three per cent and units dropping 19 per cent. However, the first four weeks of March all saw value growth in the market and it was only the final week that value growth was hit so heavily. There were certain areas that continued to show strong sales, with building sets growing 23 per cent still driven by The LEGO Movie, which has helped many LEGO lines to increase – not just the movie property. The strongest performing supercategory though is youth electronics, up 27 per cent, which not only benefitted from the continued popularity of Furby, Teksta Puppy and Robo Fish, but also new launches such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids Tablet, Furbling Assortment and Tamagotchi Friends. Disney Princess has had a strong start to the year and is the number three property across total toys year to date with a number of new items driving sales. Both the Palace Pets line and Magiclip ranges in the play-set

themed dolls area are performing strongly, while the new LEGO Disney Princess range in building sets is also adding to sales. In addition, the Disney Frozen range has continued to build share and sales for many weeks post ﬁlm release and looks set to continue. “New launches have always been key to the reinvigoration and reinvention of the toy market. With more and more launches coming in spring – both from new properties and new lines within old favourites – it’s good to see many new items

March 2014

LEGO Mixels One of the products to beneﬁt from the hype surrounding The LEGO Movie, LEGO Mixels moved up a staggering 3,313 places to number 32 in March.

climbing the charts,” says Jez FraserHook, practice director of NPD Group’s toy business in the UK. “The start of the year, while accounting for a smaller proportion of annual sales, does have the beneﬁt of giving new launches time to bed down and breathe outside of the crowded second half of the year. Last year the early launch from Doc McStuffins helped push it to the top new property of the year. The toy market continues to need spring and summer hypes to help kick start the market early in the year and help cement new property positions in this highly competitive market.”

Sales UK toy sales (value, year-to-date)

YTD 2013

YTD 2014

-3%

Source: NPD

Average toy price March ’13: £6.34

March ’14: £7.58

UK RETAIL SALES TRENDS March 2014 (£ sales – value)

March 2014 (Unit sales – volume)

LEGO MINIFIGURES

LEAPPAD EXPLORER

INNOTAB 2

MONSTER HIGH FRIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION ASSORT.

LEGO

1LEGO MINIFIGURES

LEGO

LEAPFROG

HOT WHEELS BASIC CAR ASSORTMENT

VTECH

MATCH ATTAX 2013/2014 BOOSTER BOX

MATTEL

13/14 MATCH ATTAX EXTRA TRADING CARDS TOPPS

CRA-Z-LOOM BRACELET MAKER CHARACTER OPTIONS

WCS BRAZIL TRADING CARDS

LSW GR. VEHICLES 2014

LEGO

PLAY-DOH CLASSIC 4 PK

CARS 2 CHARACTER ASSORTMENT

MATTEL

MOSHI MONSTERS BLIND BAG ASSORTMENT

LSW MF 2014

LEGO

PLAY-DOH SINGLE TUB ASSORTMENT

FURBY BOOM ASSORTMENT

HASBRO

DISNEY FROZEN STICKER COLLECTION

10. GREAT VEHICLES 2014

LEGO

10. ZOMLING BAGS

MATTEL TOPPS

PANINI HASBRO VIVID HASBRO PANINI

ESDEVIUM GAMES

Notes: All participating NPD retail data suppliers provide weekly data via epos systems. NPD ﬁgures are not projected to represent non-participating retailers but provide 100 per cent of the sales from participating stores. Epos sample includes the following retailers: Amazon.co.uk, Argos, Asda, Boots, Debenhams, ELC, Firebox, Freemans, Grattan, Halfords, Hamleys, HMV, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Mothercare, Next, Play.com, Sainsbury’s, Shop Direct, Tesco, The Entertainer, Toys R Us, Toymaster, WHSmith, Wilkinsons. NPD estimates that the epos now accounts for 78% of the total toy market.

01932 355 580 www.toynews-online.biz

May 11

APPOINTMENTS

Industry moves This month, HTI bolsters its national accounts team with a double appointment, Topps welcomes a new chief ﬁnancial officer and John Crane is our Team the Month TEAM OF THE MONTH Who’s in the team? We have: Jonathan Thorpe as managing director, Alison Hardy our major accounts administrator, Soﬁa Pheasey, sales account executive, Hayley Hanwell-Holland our export and admin manager, Nicola Woodward as educational account executive, Adrian Leafe our senior national accounts manager, Steph Rowe, major account executive, David Brown our commercial manager, Amy Russo as PR and marketing executive and Angela Earley as our educational account manager.

We also have: Natasha Dudnik as sales area representative, Charmaine Green as our credit controller, Lorraine Romain as accounts executive, John Hands as technical manager, Paul Carter-Hands as major accounts and procurement manager, Stewart Betts, design manager, Adrian Ashton in spares and customer services and last but not least Alex Piper, our management trainee. What have been your biggest successes in the last year? We had record sales last year and we hope that 2014

JOHN CRANE will be even better. We have some award winning brands on board alongside our own brand, Tidlo. Our in-house designer, Stew has worked hard on this line. Meanwhile, Woofer was featured in Corrie and also won awards. What are you working on now? The design team is working on new Tidlo releases for 2015, while the marketing department will soon start working on Christmas. What is the hardest part of the job? It has got to be the economic climate. People

Oxfordshire. Meanwhile, IAN MINFORD will cover the whole of Ireland. The new appointments have been welcomed to the Toy Essentials team by its managing director, ROBIN BENNETT. HTI The ﬁrm has strengthened its national account sales team with two new appointments. ALEX RATCHFORD (pictured top left) has joined as senior national accounts manager, tasked with managing major accounts across HTI’s portfolio of licensed, own label and Global Partners distribution toy ranges.

TOPPS The collectables specialist has appointed JOHN MUELLER as its new chief ﬁnancial officer. He joins from the XO Group, where he served as CFO for ﬁve years. Mueller will report to MICHAEL BRANDSTAEDTER, Topps president and COO.

12 May

Ratchford’s 20 years in the toy business include having held positions with Smoby, Worlds Apart and most recently MGA Entertainment. In addition, MICHELLE DALZIEL (top right) has been promoted to national account executive. She takes over from JENNY HOLVEY who has left the company for pastures new.

TOY ESSENTIALS The retail arm of Educational Essentials has appointed two new sales agents. RAYMOND NEDAS (pictured) has joined the ﬁrm to represent its portfolio of brands such as Dunecraft, Plasmacar and Plastwood across Norfolk, Kent and

BTHA Following the departure of SIMON PILLING, the BTHA has promoted popular exec, MAJEN IMMINK to the role of Toy Fair head of operations and sales. Immink has spent more than six years with the association as part of the communications team, including overseeing the PR activities for Toy Fair. She will report to ROLAND EARL, director general of the BTHA. RE:CREATION After 16 years at the company, SETH BISHOP has decided to stand down from his

don’t have the disposable income they used to. We have already seen many High Street shops close which is a real shame, but the show must go on. And what’s the best? The toy industry is fun. And so is Toy Fair. They say you don’t know your colleagues until you spend a trade show with them. So, John

position as sales and marketing director of Re:creation. Bishop leaves the firm to explore new challenges. He helped the company through a significant period of change in 2011, and brought new investment into the business. Re:creation CEO MIKE LEHRTER has thanked Bishop for his contribution to the company, having built a highly investable business. Bishop intends to remain in touch with his friends within the industry. CANAL TOYS The French toy firm has appointed industry veteran BILL UZELL as president and CEO for its North and South American operations. Uzell joins from Fashion Angels Enterprises, where he spent four years as EVP, helping boost the company’s awareness in tween girls’ craft category. Uzell will report to PATRICK KRIEF, founder and international CEO of Canal Toys.

Crane works like a well oiled machine now. Who is the team joker? Jon the MD. He’s known for his Friday antics and always a good laugh. Who makes the best cuppa? We have a good team of tea makers in here so it’s unfair to judge. Alison has a secret to good coffee.

CPLG The licensing agent has appointed STEPHEN GOULD as its new UK managing director. Gould will replace current UK MD, VICKIE O’MALLEY, who is leaving the company after 12 years. In his new role, Gould will report to CPLG’s CEO PETER BYRNE. He is currently commercial director at DHX Media and was prior to that commercial director at Ragdoll Worldwide. BASTION CHARLIE LE ROUGETEL has left the PR agency after 16 years, where she led campaigns for Toy Fair, Dream Toys, Gadget Show Live and Brand Licensing Europe. She now freelances as an independent PR consultant working with toy, licensing and consumer tech clients. She can be contacted on clrougetel@ yahoo.co.uk.

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OPINION

Spotting a hit Steve Reece looks at how best to deal with both smash hits and toy launch disasters

THE TOY industry tends to be a hit or miss business. While a high proportion of toy skus are merely average performers, it is the massive hits or the massive dodos that tend to create the biggest swings in fortunes. When your company finds itself with a smash hit product you will find that your other products get more easily listed, your profitability starts to look rosier and generally business gets easier. You may even have to deal with under supply on your products, which while never a comfortable situation to manage is nevertheless a better situation than the opposite circumstance.

A product launch disaster can lead to major inventory challenges, both in your warehouse and in retail; it can destroy margin and destroy goodwill with your customers. And that is before looking at the huge negative impact on cash ﬂow, sometimes for years ahead. After several hundred product launches though, I’ve reached the conclusion that it is impossible to avoid both the hits and the horrendous misses. The more products you launch the more of both you will encounter. The most successful toy companies implement

systems to reduce the risk of launch failure and to increase the chance of long-term success and stability via building brands. Component parts of this type of system can include past sales data analysis,

sales/retail feedback, proper consideration and insightful consumer research (the latter is conducted far too rarely versus the positive impact we usually ﬁnd that it has in terms of risk reduction and enhancing potential upside). Once such a system is in place though, agonising over each knock along the way, or letting a hit product go to your heads won’t help you avoid or repeat the end result.

Analyse what went wrong for sure, but then move on to the next product line using your key learnings to increase the chances of success next time around. Nearly every successful toy industry person will be able to tell you of the one they got horribly wrong, or the eventually massive licence they turned down when they could have obtained the rights for a song. In the end, long-term success is not about the product by product ups and downs, but is more a matter of doing your due diligence, taking the best punt you can and then managing the ride that follows effectively.

Steve Reece runs a leading Consultancy to Toy & Game companies. Contact him via his Blog: www.stevenreece.com

With a little luck… Frances Cain details her own journey through the industry with her A Girl for All Time brand

WITH A Little Luck is playing on the radio as I write. It might be the heady effects of some watery sunshine ﬁnally peeping through the clouds, but I am inspired by the lyrics. I do think Sir Paul has something there. With a little luck - and a lot of perseverance - things can work out. Two and a half years ago when we launched our brand, the toy industry was treading water, waiting to see how the economy would fare after its sudden downturn just a couple of years earlier. Sales in the industry had been resilient, but few retailers were enjoying the same level of bumper sales as in years gone by.

Launching a new brand at that time – and one with a high price point – probably might have seemed to some like bad timing at best and sheer madness at worst. But we had a product we were

for items that would hold their child’s interest for a long time and had strong play value. Customers were purchasing fewer items, but of a higher price point. But as a manufacturer, you can only get so far

Toy Fair was a great vehicle for opening conversations with future stockists and to meet retailers who could spot our potential. passionate about, and launching a range with traditional play values in an economic downturn actually made sense. People were thinking about their purchases more carefully and were looking

without a partner in crime: retailers willing to stock your products. We knew that the best place to access these key buyers would be at London Toy Fair, where they are all actively seeking out new

trends and ranges. So we invested in a presence at Toy Fair 2012, ensuring we showcased our product in the best way possible, keen on offering retailers the opportunity to talk with us in an open, transparent and ﬂexible way without pressuring them. We were fortunate enough to be spotted by some of the best retailers in the industry: Harrods, Benjamin Pollocks and doll specialist Petalina. While that very ﬁrst show did not yield hundreds of orders, in fact I don’t think we wrote a single one, it was a great vehicle for opening the conversation with future stockists and to meet the retailers who could spot

the range’s potential and who wanted to work with us to actively promote it. Two years on, we have over 20 UK stockists and more signing up each week. Continental European distribution is in place and our presence in FAO Schwartz in New York continues. Our strategy of having open, transparent and ﬂexible conversation with our retailers seems to be working. For any new manufacturer looking to get into retailers, I would tell them to keep trying, be reasonable, keep the conversation going and don’t expect things to happen overnight. And with a little luck…

Frances Cain is managing director of A Girl For All Time and the chairperson of the Women in Toys UK chapter.

14 May

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OPINION

Supersize me David Smith closes his eyes and makes a wish for some life-sized toys

A FEW years ago I went on a press trip to the Playmobil headquarters in Germany. It was a great experience and afterwards all attendees were treated to one of those giant-sized Playmobil figures that you see in shop displays but can’t actually buy. Needless to say, this made me feel very important, so imagine my mixed feelings when, on walking around Chester town centre recently, I saw an even bigger Playmobil figure outside the independent toy shop, Toycraft. This figure is enormous and makes my previously esteemed ‘giant’ figure suddenly seem inadequate.

I will be expecting a call from Playmobil very soon, but in the meantime, this got me thinking about which toys could be improved by a little upscaling. LEGO is an obvious candidate. Blowing those bricks up to the size of, well, bricks, would open up all sorts of possibilities. You could build dens in the garden that you could actually ﬁt all your mates into, you could build a castle in the playroom that you could take refuge in whenever it was time for homework (holding out for weeks if necessary), and just think how incredible it would be to have life-size Star Wars sets.

problems, although they would open up a brand new way of measuring your social status – only the richest families would have gardens big enough for a Diplodocus. But on the whole, I think bigger would nearly always be better, and would, in many cases, rekindle interest in adults. Imagine being able to have a sleek Ferrari in your driveway, complete with opening doors and gleaming engine. You would have to keep the driveway gates closed, so nobody could get close enough to see that it was a life-sized Hot Wheels die-cast, but that is just a minor detail.

Airfix soldiers would look amazing peppered around the garden in various defensive positions – poking a rife out from the back of the shed, lobbing grenades over the hedge or manning a machine gun in the flower bed. Remote-control helicopters would be insanely exciting if you could actually fly around the park in them (they would be heavy on the batteries, though). These all seem like nobrainers to me, but it is also obvious that not all toys would benefit from being scaled up. Life-sized plastic dinosaurs would pose far too may logistical

David Smith runs the consumer-focused toy news site ToyTalk (www.toytalk.co.uk) and is the author of the book, 100 Classic Toys.

Toys and trends Sian Williams looks at whether children’s development is being held back by current trends

WITH LITERALLY thousands of toys on the market you would think the question of how to give children the best start in life would be an easy one to answer. For a successful purchase and a satisﬁed child, understanding how children develop and what stage they are at are key. Simple is best, especially early on, with toys which stimulate through texture and shape, are visually interesting and easy to hold. Young babies need little apart from love, care, security and stimulation. Singing, talking, going out or splashing in the bath before bedtime are all fabulous experiences, helping billions of neurons

in the brain to connect to form the foundations for the future. As toy professionals, we are well placed to support parents’ day-today routines with a choice of toys, whether for play

Age recommendation is a guide only, with information on how toys can aid children’s learning being far more helpful. What about electronic stimulation? Well, for the very young, it really isn’t

Certainly in the ﬁrst two years, a child will beneﬁt so much more from a healthy variety of openended ‘real’ play. or to buy a few minutes of valuable ‘me’ time. Both brands and retailers can help customers make good purchasing decisions through clear informative packaging and websites with easy to follow advice.

necessary. A baby needs to be stimulated, but this can be achieved in so many ways: playing with a rattle, listening to songs and stories, cuddling up to soft toys or exploring different materials.

In fact, adult interaction, with or without toys, is more likely to result in stronger language development and better social skills, as well as provide the secure environment needed for conﬁdent learning and happy children. Little ones will, of course, be drawn to electronic gadgets and, if allowed, will quickly grasp how to swipe and click. It does not mean that knowing how to navigate through a series of screens is a sure sign of intelligence. The likely reality is that the child will be intently focused on the screen rather than interacting, and

not using their sensitive fingers to feel different shapes and textures. This is not to say that a small controlled amount of screen time will be detrimental to development, but certainly in the first two years, a child will benefit so much more from a healthy variety of open-ended ‘real’ play. Understanding the kinds of experiences and play which are likely to provide valuable educational benefit, coupled with the stage a child is at, will ultimately help parents to develop their children as individuals, not as children pigeon-holed into their agegroup or enticed to follow current trends.

Sian Williams is a consultant in toy product development, buying and training, focused on learning through play. Contact her on sian@sianwilliamsltd.com.

www.toynews-online.biz

May 15

GOOD TOY GUIDE

Dolly mixture

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Whether it’s body proportions or target audience gender, dolls have been the cause of many a discussion in recent weeks. This month, Dr Amanda Gummer tackles the mixed messages of the doll sector WITH THE big debate on gender stereotyping in toys raging, and a growing pressure and trend among retailers to cease categorising toys by ‘boys’ and ‘girls,’ dolls have certainly taken a bit of a battering recently. Often seen as a particularly ‘girly’ toy, dolls seem to have been sidelined in favour of more gender-neutral products. However, are we not throwing the baby doll

out with the bathwater by devaluing the importance of playing with dolls, especially in light of recent reports stating that 40 per cent of children do not develop strong bonds with a primary carer? There are lots of important skills that children (both girls and boys) learn from playing with dolls, such as nurturing, empathy, caring, hygiene, nutrition, imagination and much

more. These skills are as important for boys as they are for girls, but if boys don’t choose to play with dolls, does that mean that in the spirit of equality, we should discourage girls from doing so too? Absolutely not. Providing children with a healthy play diet includes providing a range of opportunities to suit different play patterns, moods and personalities. What we should not be

A Girl for All Time, Clementine This 1940s Historical Girl is made from high quality, durable vinyl and stands at 16 inches tall. The website contains lots of information with places to visit, learn to swing dance and numerous wartime recipes. The doll comes with a book following all of Clemetine’s adventures. Clementine engages children with history while promoting imaginative play and encourages empathy and awareness of other’s lives.

Fun Rating:

&& Educational Rating:

3 3 3 3

doing is stigmatising certain types of play according to gender, or even age. Why should there be an age at which children stop playing with dolls? There are all sorts of different dolls on the market, from soft rag dolls to life-like babies and

fashion dolls to classic dress-up dolls. And they all have a place in the toy box and should be made accessible for play by both genders. Play is how children learn and wouldn’t we all like our society to be a little better at caring and sharing?

Become a Good Toy Retailer Are you looking to become a Good Toy Retailer? Remember, as part of its ongoing scheme to support retailers, The Good Toy Guide is now offering companies selling product in the Good Toy Guide the opportunity to become an accredited retailer. As a registered member, retailers will receive Good Toy Guide promotional

merchandise, plaques or window displays,logos and banners to use online, social media coverage and quarterly updates on latest additions to the guide. Furthermore, they will receive spots on the ﬁrm’s accredited retailer list, discounts on advertising and discounts on store events and training.

CONTACT THE GOOD TOY GUIDE: Twitter: @goodtoyguide z Facebook: GoodToyGuide z Email: admin@goodtoyguide.com z www.goodtoyguide.com 16 May

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INDEPENDENT SURVEY

Which social media channel works best for you? Are you a Facebook fan? Or are you more of an avid Tweeter? Social media has given retailers another way to interact with their customers and extend their in-store experience further. But which works best and how are indies using them? ToyShopUK asks its listers

“ 18 May

Claire Hainstock Acting the Party “Although YouTube doesn’t necessarily apply to us, I think if you can do a great campaign it’s one that stays the longest in people’s memory.” Matt Booker Automattic Comics and Toys “Facebook rules the roost for me; simple and easy to use and navigate and interact with customers. Although I do also use Twitter with a Twitter feed on the front page of my website.” Simon Read Blue Frog Toys “Facebook or Twitter, Twitter or Facebook, almost as bad as which came ﬁrst the chicken or the bouncing toy egg. Blue Frog Toys shares all its

fun via our Facebook page and Twitter, and we have some great fun with our customers on both.” Duncan Conner Bus Stop Toy Shop “We have more Twitter followers than Facebook fans, but it’s Facebook that delivers results for us. We make use of our main page, groups and events to deliver the correct messages to the right groups of people. We also ﬁnd that our customers are far more willing to interact with us on Facebook than on Twitter.” Jane Holtom Cheshire Toy Shop “Difficult choice. We believe that Facebook is currently performing best for us, but with the constant changes to who can see posts, etc,

that may change. We do use Twitter and Pinterest and have just started blogging, so we feel that the combination will be better for us.” Jon Harrod Collectabubble “It is close between Facebook and Twitter, but Facebook just edges it. The ability to create albums rather than posting individual pictures is a big advantage.” Sue Needham Cot ‘N’ Togs “Facebook gets directly to customers who want your information.” Andrew Lord Dress-A-Doll “We ﬁnd our Facebook page is great to show customers and followers new items we have.

We also use it to gauge interest in new dolls and outﬁts before we launch them to market.” Caroline Anstey Imagine … I “Twitter seems to be mostly businesses promoting themselves to other businesses.” Charlotte Croser Jollys “Facebook is fantastic for Jollys. We are a community toy shop and many of our customers follow our page ‘Jollys Toys & Games’, or see many of our posts shared on the town page. We post new products, special offers, info about events and competitions, as well as fun posts like ‘what the toys get up to at night’. It’s about keeping in the minds of our customers www.toynews-online.biz

INDEPENDENT SURVEY

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

and inspiring them with ideas which hopefully bring them in to the shop. Often it does; sometimes we get customers coming to buy a new product they saw on Facebook within hours of posting it. Posts also stay in customers’ minds for some time and when they need a gift or a treat they’ll come in for something they saw on Facebook.” James Marshman Just For You Toys “At Just For You Toys we like using Facebook to keep in touch with our customers and to promote new offers or products. It’s nice and easy for customers to check out what’s new and, with the ever growing phone apps, customers get notiﬁcations straight to their phones and get to www.toynews-online.biz

IF YOU HAD TO PICK ONE SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNEL, WHICH IS THE MOST USEFUL FOR ENGAGING WITH CUSTOMERS?

is fantastic for Jollys. We are a community toy shop and many of our customers follow our page or see many of our posts shared on the town page. We post new products, special offers, info about events and competitions, as well as fun posts like ‘what the toys get up to at night’. It’s about keeping in the minds of our customers and inspiring them with ideas which hopefully bring them into the shop.” The majority of the comments we received this month were for Facebook, despite 23 per cent saying they found Twitter most useful. Although Caroline Anstey from Imagine…I pointed out that “Twitter seems to be mostly businesses promoting themselves to other businesses”. There were also a couple of listers who were keen to

see all with just one click. We also have a Facebook shop where all products can be bought to make it that little easier.” Debra Scanlon Lootybag “I have found Twitter to be more effective. This is mainly through organic tweets and some help from #bizitalk. On average the number of visitors to my website increased by 30 per cent when I used #bizitalk.” Sam Haggett Moving Pictures “At the moment we ﬁnd Facebook the best social media, but we also use Twitter and Google + and are hoping to use more social media over the coming year. More people can access that compared to the footfall

fly the flag for YouTube and Google+. Claire Hainstock from Acting the Party says: “Although YouTube doesn’t necessarily apply to us, I think if you can do a great campaign it’s one that stays the longest in people’s memory.” Meanwhile, Your Jigsaw Puzzles’ Rhys Davies knows the value of good SEO, too: “An interaction on Google+ increases your rankings in Google search results for that person. In the current climate of search engine rankings, this is something you can’t miss out on.” Sam Haggett from Moving Pictures, meanwhile, has the final word about social media in general: “We are hoping to use more social media over the coming year as more people can access that compared to the footfall our town receives, so the potential for sales is great.”

our town receives so the potential for sales is great. We have had sales through posting photos/ info on both Facebook and Twitter we never would have got otherwise. As an independent store focusing on TV/ﬁlm/comic and gaming related items there is a broad group of people who love the sort of thing we do, so we choose to try and reach as many as possible through our store, website, social media and attending various ﬁlm and comic cons around the UK. I think everyone with a physical store should also have an online presence.” Tracy Martin The Bear and Miss Rabbit “Facebook still drives more traffic to my website than other forms of social media. However, Twitter

63% – FACEBOOK

23% – TWITTER

– GOOGLE+

– YOUTUBE

is catching up. I have more Facebook fans than I do Twitter followers and have used Facebook for longer, but Twitter is increasing at a faster rate than Facebook now.” Paula Leslie Toys-Bocs-Teganau “We ﬁnd that Facebook works well for us. Whenever there is anything new in, special offers or promotions we are running we post them on there and we always get a fantastic response.” Rhys Davies Your Jigsaw Puzzles “An interaction on Google+ increases your rankings in Google search results for that person. In the current climate of search engine rankings, this is something you can’t miss out on.”

“

EVERYONE USES some form of social media these days. Statuses are regularly updated on Facebook, selfies posted on Twitter, snaps of anything from food to high heels to holiday locations uploaded onto Instagram and seemingly endless videos of cats find their way onto YouTube. In a business sense, too, these channels are proving to be invaluable when it comes to extending the customer experience, showcasing new lines and helping to drive footfall. But which ones are indies actually getting the most benefit from? The clear winner when ToyShopUK asked its listers this month was Facebook, with 63 per cent saying it was the most useful for engaging with customers. “It’s Facebook that delivers results for us,” says Duncan Conner from Bus Stop Toy Shop. “We make use of our main page, groups and events to deliver the correct messages to the right groups of people. We also find that our customers are far more willing to interact with us on Facebook than on Twitter.” Charlotte Croser from Jollys concurs: “Facebook

May 19

STUART GRANT

The Entertainer asks… In his role as this month’s guest editor, Stuart Grant quizzes key execs from LEGO, Mattel, Spin Master, Bandai, VTech, LeapFrog, Vivid and HTI for their views on this year’s major launches, acquisitions and where they see the future of bricks and mortar stores. And he doesn’t pull any punches Michael Hick, Sales Director, Mattel UK

Of the major launches due this year, which toy – not from your portfolio – would you put your money on? Michael Hick: I’m interested to see if Tamagotchi can do it again. Paul Bennett: I would put my money on a particular theme – the World Cup. John Hutt: Minecraft. Fiona Wright: Personally I am not one to make bets, especially not in this market, however I like WikiBear and the VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch. Graham Canning: I don’t think you need to look much further than The LEGO Movie this year; that’s as close to a safe bet you get in the toy industry. Do you think there could be any other major acquisitions on the horizon (following on from Mattel/ Mega Brands in March)? Clive Smith: Organic growth is extremely difficult to sustain and consequently companies determined to grow their market share, or indeed move into other sectors of the toy market, may look towards acquisition as a solution. I have no doubt that this will continue. However, ﬁnding the right opportunity, whether as a worldwide or local initiative, is not an easy option, and as we have witnessed recently, rarely a cheap solution.

Paul Bennett, Sales Director, LeapFrog UK 20 May

Nick Thomas: I think the major companies are always looking to widen their portfolio and derisk their businesses by adding strategically to them. It makes sense to have a balanced portfolio supported by brands that can grow, evolve and stand the test of time.

John Hutt: Yes, almost definitely. Consolidation is a common theme whichever industry you belong to. As the world becomes more globalised this is inevitable as the big global players fight it out for market share. Which category do you think will help to turn around the trend of slight market decline we experienced over the past few years? Jacqueline Taylor-Foo: The independents like a craze to drive footfall into stores. The boom in the technological category combined with a possible peak in tablet sales may help to see some growth on the traditional toy side this year. Michael Hick: Well, of course with our exciting new launch into the outdoor category, this will be the one to watch. Fiona Wright: Building sets, of course, and I believe pocket money and others will see an improvement this year, with the impact of the yoyo craze, LEGO Minifigures and Mixels. John Hutt: Apart from tablet and technologybased toys, I am a firm believer (surprise surprise) in traditional role play toys that are aimed at six years and under, together with non digital games. Graham Canning: The market that was covered by the NPD audit was down, but that did not cover the whole market, so it’s not clear for me if the market was actually down. I think the categories that will get the boost from entertainment properties such as Minecraft and The LEGO Movie will

grow, but closer to home categories that are getting innovation through technology will grow. With children spending more time on streaming media, where traditional adverts are not visible, where do you see the future of toy marketing? John Hutt: More investment aimed at building direct relationships with the consumer via various social media platforms, combined with the further big investment in IP holders’ brands via big budget movies. Jacqueline Taylor-Foo: I don’t see an immediate change in where suppliers invest. Digital is growing and things are changing, but as yet there aren’t many hard testimonials to support moving away from traditional media in terms of best return for your money. That said, it’s also product dependent and some of the alternative channels may be more effective depending on the range/item. Paul Bennett: Children’s media consumption has changed over the last couple of years, however I think it is important that toy brands continue to embrace traditional media as well as new methods when marketing to children. I believe that there is still an important role for TV advertising to play, but it is crucial that toy marketers utilise new opportunities to be more creative and to provide deeper engagement with customers. Michael Hick: The toy marketers job is certainly more challenging; you have to be wherever children are and create engaging www.toynews-online.biz

STUART GRANT ways for them to interact with your brand. TV still represents a powerful tool, but there are lots of new and exciting channels that can be used to develop programmes - whether that be through social engagement, experiential marketing, as well as the many new media channels that we know kids are using, like YouTube. With more aggressive discounting in Q4 – meaning lower retailer margins – do you think there will be a long-term negative impact on the space allocated to toys in multi-category retailers? Fiona Wright: It’s a great question and, of course,

importantly, investment. If we cannot sustain a proﬁtable business for all, then where will we ﬁnd the resources to drive innovation? Michael Hick: With many retailers now taking the omni-channel approach, consumers have a variety of ways to buy and you will see different mixes of toys on different channels, so their online offer might be much broader with just a selection of key items in-store. It’s all about the right offer, at the right price point, at the right time, particularly in quarter four. We work with retail partners to make sure we offer them

I still find it bizarre that as an industry, we find heavy discounting offered in our peak season as something acceptable. Clive Smith, General Manager, Bandai the ideal situation is that as manufacturers we produce products that hold their value and do not require discounting (just like Apple or Pure Radio’s do), and retailers hold their nerve while shoppers decide to get ready for Christmas later and later every year. If this is the case, toys should continue to earn space. Graham Canning: No, I think the opposite. There is price competition in toys, of course, but that exists in most other categories. Sales of toys are pretty stable when you compare to magazines, music and video, TVs, cameras to name a few - there are a lot of categories in decline. I started in this industry 30 years ago with Fisher-Price where I first came across aggressive discounting … what’s changed? Clive Smith: I may be old fashioned, but I still find it quite bizarre that as an industry we find the heavy discounting offered in our peak season as something acceptable. We need every area within our business to be profitable as this can be the only solution to industry growth and, more www.toynews-online.biz

the right product mix and differentiation that ﬁts their consumer proﬁle and their formats. How about the growth of discount multi-category retailers? Will that affect traditional toy shops? Clive Smith: I think we have to accept that the discount multi-category retailers are here to stay and cannot be ignored. From a toy perspective, it is difficult to see how these retailers can survive on our general toy business, which tend to be TV advertised brands at higher retail prices (not necessarily something their target consumer would be seeking). I do expect to see more low priced products manufactured and targeted towards this retail sector in the future. Jacqueline Taylor-Foo: In the same way as discount grocers have affected major grocers, they will take some share. Consumers are more savvy than ever - with branded toys it doesn’t matter where they are purchased from, so the traditional toy retailers need to be offering something more to keep customers and drive

loyalty: price, customer service, product knowledge and so on. With new stores opening, those retailers also look the part, offering a pleasant shopping experience and are positioned in increasingly more attractive locations.

John Hutt, Chairman, HTI

Nick Thomas: I do see this area continuing to grow, and with many new High Street locations it will have an impact especially via strong close out offers. Paul Bennett: In my view, dedicated toy retailers beneﬁt from the bigger and broader opportunities in the industry, offering a trademark of toy expertise and experience, as well as selling the best and newest launches, which discount retailers simply cannot rival.

Fiona Wright, UK General Manager, LEGO

Graham Canning: I think they are ﬁlling a gap left in the market. I also think that offering straightforward offers is their strength, as consumers are getting wise to all the ‘fancy offers’. I think they will grow, but maybe a little slower than in the past. Their size cannot be ignored from a supplier’s view in a competitive market. Do you think that 3D printing will do to the toy industry what music downloads have done to the music business? John Hutt: No, at least not in my lifetime. Fiona Wright: I think that 3D printing can offer children great extensions to their creative play experience, but that the accessible household technology still doesn’t provide the quality of current toy manufacturing. This is certainly the case for LEGO elements anyway.

Graham Canning, Sales Director, VTech

Nick Thomas: Wow, a big question and obviously a long-term potential change to many industries not just toys. Jacqueline Taylor-Foo: No, although as it becomes more affordable I suspect that it might affect certain toy categories more than others. May 21

STUART GRANT Clive Smith: No, I don’t. I think the comparisons cannot be made, as one involves children with their impatience and need for instant fulﬁlment, and the other is young adults who are seeking a quicker, cheaper and more convenient way of consuming their music. My kids have long since grown up, but I could not imagine them having the patience to print their own toy before playing with it. We had a job stopping them from ripping open the boxes before we left the toy store. Have children really changed that much, or is it us as parents who think they need the latest technology? Let’s not lose sight of traditional play patterns and values. Michael Hick: At the moment I can’t see it developing in that way. We are always receptive to new technology and the beneﬁts it can bring, but I think it is early days and it will be interesting to see how the consumer embraces it. There will always be the consumer that wants the physical aspect of a toy for their child, so I can’t see it bypassing the toy industry just yet. Where do you see the future of bricks and mortar stores? Nick Thomas: Most bricks and mortar retailers have or are developing both online and retail-based strategies which need to work hand in hand and appeal to the needs of today’s consumer. They demand the full range of shopping services: in-store, online, click and collect, in-store collection, home delivery, as well as the retail shopping experience and in most cases a combination of all of these. The retailers that can provide the full range across all these areas will have a strong future. Jacqueline Taylor-Foo: Those retailers that can are staying ahead with a good online offering or even selling via their competitor’s websites. Those who are more 22 May

traditional without online need to focus on driving footfall locally through great customer interaction, activities that make the children want to visit the stores whenever they can and good implementation of local deals to make their customers want to come back and feel they are getting special attention that online just cannot provide. Fiona Wright: Many toy purchase decisions are made at store level, I strongly believe that there is room for all types of toy retailing in the UK. A trip to the toy shop for birthday presents, trying

be expected to deliver incremental business. It is true that some sales may be at lower than the traditional margins, but is this any different to a sale/ promotion in-store?

Clive Smith, General Manager, Bandai

Graham Canning: We used to talk about supermarkets driving down price, now it’s online. Bricks and mortar still represents 67 per cent of the toy industry according to NPD. So, still a clear majority. From a manufacturers point of view it’s about balancing our investment. On a personal note, I am one of the 11 per cent of true shoppers that go to the High Street undecided!

We used to talk about supermarkets driving down price, now it’s online. Bricks and mortar still has a clear majority.

Nick Thomas, Commercial Director, Vivid Group

Graham Canning, Sales Director, VTech hard, pocket money treats and Christmas presents is still a very important part of a child’s and family life. The trick will be for the retailers to convert the purchase through great product selection, great in-store theatre, an easy shopping experience and knowledgeable store staff. John Hutt: It’s all about engagement with consumers, creating theatre and enjoyment combined with a simple and clear offer that is easy to understand. Underpinning all of this is the absolute need to be competitively priced. Yes, there is a future though only retailers completely on top of their game will prosper. Clive Smith: We are all aware that online retailing is growing and will continue to do so. However, we may be in danger of believing that online retail opportunities are exclusive to online retailers, when this is deﬁnitely not the case. Bricks and mortar retailers should (and in many cases do) see this as an additional arm to their retail offering. A good online presence should

Michael Hick: I think bricks and mortar stores will always have a key role; consumers still like to touch and feel what they are buying and the pleasure that a child gets from the trip to the toy shop can still be a magical experience. But as an industry we have to work across multi-channel formats. It’s important that retailers have the right mix of toys for the right format. Paul Bennett: Being able to touch a product, seeing how it works and speaking with a knowledgeable staff member are all key factors of the in-store experience which sets bricks and mortar stores aside from online retailers that cannot offer that personal touch. I think it’s also important not to underestimate the power of children in decision making. Toy shops embody the fun of the products and offer that wow factor brands are trying to portray. This overall experience which is so important for toy purchasing cannot be replicated online and offers the USP which physical toy retailers need to capitalise on to ensure their future.

Jacqueline Taylor-Foo, UK Sales Director, Spin Master

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* Dec 19, 2013 - Mar 22, 2014

LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ÂŠ2014 The LEGO Group.

BUYERS GUIDE 2014

Guide to toy retail Billy Langsworthy and Robert Hutchins list the up-to-date contact details and buyers for UK’s biggest toy retailers, spanning specialists, supermarkets, online stores and general retailers AIS/PLAYROOM UK and Ireland stores: 204 Address: Cranmore Park, Cranmore Avenue, Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands, B90 4LF Website: www.aistores.co.uk Contact number: 0121 713 4487

AMAZON Meet the team: Peter Mallinson - Director Miles Penhallow – Head of Toys and Children’s Gifts Charlotte Roberts - Administration

ARGOS Number of UK stores: 700+ Address: 489-499 Avebury Boulevard, Central Milton Keynes, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK9 2NW Website: www.argos.co.uk Contact number: 0845 124 0044 Meet the team: Linzi Walker –Trading Manager, Toys and Nursery Elaine McAuliffe – Product Manager, Chad Valley Mark Whittle – Buyer, Boys Toys, Construction and DVDs Lindsay Rogers – Buyer, Girls’ Toys, Science and Arts & Crafts Jessica Wilkinson – Buyer, Outdoor Toys and Games

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Colin Ball – Senior Vendor Manager Anna Caravaca – Vendor Manager Lucy Lewis – Senior In-stock Manager Nidhi Jaiswal – In-stock Manager Nikki House – Marketing Manager Helen Brennan – Site Merchandiser Duncan Howe – Site Merchandiser Alex Shaw – Site Merchandiser Tamsin Boarland – Site Merchandiser

ASDA Lee Parker – Buyer, Infant and Pre-school Mark Peterkin – Merchandise Manager, Toys

BHS Number of UK stores: 180+ Address: Bhs Limited, 6th Floor North West House, 127-129 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5PX

Address: Patriot Court, 1-9 The Grove, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 1QP Website: www.amazon.co.uk Contact number: 020 8636 9200 Meet the team: Victoria Nelson – Category Leader, Toys Avik Bhandari – Senior Vendor Manager Andrew Smithers – Senior Vendor Manager

UK stores: 500+ Address: Asda House, Southbank, Great Wilson Street, Leeds, LS11 5AD Website: www.asda.com Contact number: 0113 243 5435 Meet the team: Steph Strike – Category Director Chris Norris – Buying Manager, Preschool, Plush, Role-play Liza Williams – Buyer, Pre-school, Plush, Role-play Adeel Hussein – Trading Assistant, Pre-school, Plush, Role-play Rhiannon James – Trading Assistant, Girls’ Toys and stationery Phil Goddard – Buyer, Kids’

Stationery and Creative Richard Wall – Buyer, Boys’ Toys and Games Andrew Brierley – Buying Manager, Girls and Boys’ Toys Tracey Walton – Marketing Manager, Toys and Sports Angela Turpin – Marketing Assistant, Toys and Sports

BOOTS Website: www.bhs.co.uk Contact number: 0844 411 6000 Meet the team: Rachel Hevicon – Senior Assistant Buyer, Gifts

Number of UK stores: 360 Address: Boots D90 Hub WF19, Thane Road, Beeston, Nottingham, NG90 1BS Website: www.boots.com Contact numbers: 0115 949 4428 Meet the team: Steven Bradley – Buying Manager, Toys and Games Zara Ford – Assistant Buying Manager, Toys and Games Sharon Cotterill – Assistant E-commerce Manager, Toys and Games, Boots.com Carla Hubbard – Category Assistant, Toys and Games and Nursery

Vicki Weatherby – Assistant Supply Manager, Toys and Games Melanie Lord – Assistant Supply Manager, Toys and Games May 25

BUYERS GUIDE 2014 DEBENHAMS

THE ENTERTAINER

UK stores: 153 Address: 10 Brock Street, Regent’s Palace, London, NW1 3FG Website: www.debenhams.com Contact number: 020 7408 4444 Meet the team: James Ford – Buyer Frances Baker – Assistant Buyer Karina Sinnott – Trainee Assistant Buyer Daniel Gannon – Merchandiser Jasmin Patel – Assistant Merchandiser

UK Stores: 90 Address: Boughton Business Park, Bell Lane, Little Chalfont, Bucks, HP6 6GL Website: www.thetoyshop.com Contact number: 01494 737000 Meet the team: Gary Grant – MD Stuart Grant – Buying Director Nick Hargreaves – Director of Retail Operations Duncan Grant – Director of Multichannel Ashley Major – Finance Director Sue Dorkin – Director of IT Tim Grist – Director of Logistics

FENWICK Number of UK stores: 11 Head office address: 63 New Bond Street, London, W1S 1RQ Website: www.fenwick.co.uk Contact: 020 7629 9161 Meet the team: Rosie Shillito - Buyer (London) Ruth Fleming - Buyer (Newcastle) Gillian Gatt – Buyer (Leicester) Karen Hector – Toy Buyer (Brent Cross) Matthew Crouch – Gift Buyer (Brent Cross) B. Roblin – Toy Buyer (Canterbury) Kim Reed – Toy Buyer (Tunbridge Wells)

FIREBOX Graham Hook – Toy Buyer (Kingston) Fiona Goodsir – Toy Buyer (Bracknell) Mel Hodgkins – Toy Buyer (Williams and Griffin, Colchester)

HAMLEYS

UK stores: 79 Address: 7 Enterprise Way, Aviation Park, Bournemouth International Airport, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 6HG Website: www.hobbycraft.co.uk Contact number: 01202 596100 Meet the team: Bruce Gibson – Head of Retail Catriona Marshall – Chief Executive/Trading Director

26 May

Sarah Kabunga – Buyer Hannah Collins – Buyer Rachel Willis – Buyer (currently on maternity leave) Dan Thomas – Sales Director Kirstie Power – Trade Manager

HARRODS UK stores: 9 Address: 188-196 Regent Street, London, W18 5BT Website: www.hamleys.com Contact number: 0871 704 1977 Meet the team: Laura Olver – Head of Buying Claire Smith – Category Manager Natalie Rogerson – Category Manager Emma Toolan – Category Manager Eve Fifer – Category Manager

HOBBYCRAFT

Address: Units 6:10, The Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London, E1 6JJ Website: www.ﬁrebox.com Contact number: 0800 044 5010 Meet the team: Ben Redhead – Head of Buying

Number of UK stores: 1 Address: 87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7XL Website: www.harrods.com

Contact number: 020 7730 1234 Meet the team: Analise Quest – Director of Home

THE HUT GROUP - IWOOT (iwantoneofthose.com) / TheHut.com / Zavvi.com Address: The Hut Group, Meridian House, Gadbrook Park, Gadbrook Way, Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 7RA Website: www.iwantoneofthose. com / www.thehut.com / www.zavvi.com Contact number: 01606 338 197 Meet the team: Michelle Marley – Gifts Buyer Steve Cook – Toy Buyer Joe Anderton – Toy Buyer Josh Foster – Gifts and Toys Merchandiser www.toynews-online.biz

BUYERS GUIDE 2014 JOHN LEWIS Number of UK stores: 43 Address: John Lewis Partnership, Carlisle Place, London, SW1P 1BX Website: www.johnlewis.com Contact number: 020 7828 1000

LOUBILOU Meet the team: Ian Ellis – Buyer, Books and Toys Michelle McGuire – Assistant Buyer Rachael Larkman – Assistant Buyer

Website: www.loubilou.com Contact number: 0208 883 3977 Meet the team: Heath Kane – CEO

M&S UK Stores: 766 Address: Marks & Spencer, Waterside House, 35 North Wharf Road, London, W2 1NW Website: www.marksandspencer.com Contact number: 020 7935 4422

Baby, Hard goods Diane Orgill - Assistant Buyer, Toys and Books

Meet the team: Chui Yen Li - Buyer, Toys, Books and

MORRISONS

MOTHERCARE UK stores: 196 (according to 2013 ﬁnancials) Address: Cherry Tree Road, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD24 6SH Website: www.elc.co.uk/ www.mothercare.com Contact number: 01923 241000 Meet the team: Anders Kloster – Trading Director Brian McLaughlin – Buyer, Action and Adventure Devlin Lindeque – Senior Buyer, Music and Learning Claire Loxley – Senior Buyer, Let’s Pretend Liz Waller – Senior Buyer, Baby and Toddler

UK stores: 520+ Address: Wm Morrison Supermarkets, Hilmore House, Gain Lane, Bradford, BD3 7DL Website: www.morrisons.co.uk Contact number: 0845 611 5000 Meet the team: Mark Spowart – Trading Manager Alan Gray – Buyer Cara Dennison – Buyer Marc Dean – Buyer

PREZZYBOX Address: Hollybank Farm House, No Mans Heath Lane, Austrey, Warwickshire, CV9 3EW Website: www.prezzybox.com Contact number: 08442 495 007

Meet the team: Barney Edwards – Comm. Director Zak Edwards – Managing Director Keeley Walker – Buyer Amy Parker – Daily Deals Buyer

Kate Harper – Buyer, Sport Activity Mario Luzi – Senior Merchandiser, Sports and Outdoor Gareth Thorn – Senior Merchandiser, Action and Adventure, Books Hayley Young – Senior Merchandiser, Baby and Toddler Sam Camp – Junior Buyer, Art and Creativity

RAKUTEN PLAY.COM Address: PO Box 192, Jersey, JE4 8RP Website: www.play.com Contact number: 0845 266 9651 Meet the team: Paul Sanders – Category Director, Toys, Baby, Gifts, Gadgets

Phil Laidlaw – E-commerce Consultant Daniel Hunt – E-commerce Consultant Asif Ahmad – E-commerce Consultant

SAINSBURY’S UK stores: Over 1,000 Address: Sainsbury’s Support Centre, 33 Holborn, London, EC1N 2HT Website: www.sainsburys.co.uk Contact number: 02476 439 100 Meet the team: Clare Barton – Buying Manager, Toys Preena Sachdev – Buyer, Girls, Plush, Creative Liz Stanley – Buyer, Boys,

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Construction, Outdoor and Pocket Money Rebecca Henchey – Buyer, Pre-school, Nursery and Games and Puzzles Andrew Cliffe – Merchandiser, Girls, Plush, Creative Beth Sterrett - Merchandiser, Boys, Construction, Outdoor and Pocket Money Louise Barnett – Merchandiser, Pre-school, Nursery and Games and Puzzles Karen Leddy – Assistant Buyer, Boys, Construction, Outdoor and Pocket Money Cate Allen – Asstistant Buyer, Pre-school, Nursery and Games and Puzzles Steven Goss – Technologist

SELFRIDGES Number of UK stores: 4 Address: 400 Oxford Street, London, W1A 1AB Website: www.selfridges.com Contact number: 0800 123400 Note: The toys department is only a pop up which opens up from August through to the end of December every year for Christmas, though Selfridges does sell toys all year round on www.selfridges.com Meet the team: Lynne Crook – Buying Manager, Childrenswear and Toys

Jessica King – Buyer, Childrenswear and Toys Sarah Thompson – Assistant Buyer, Childrenswear and Toys James Arey – Merchandiser, Lingerie, Travel, Kids and Toys Joanna Hetreed – Allocator, Childrenswear and Toys May 27

BUYERS GUIDE 2014 SHOPDIRECT Address: Shop Direct, Skyways House, Speke Road, Speke, Liverpool, L70 1AB Contact: 0844 292 1000 Website: www.very.co.uk / www.littlewoods.co.uk Meet the team:

SMYTHS Andrea Gornall – Senior Buyer (Girls’ Toys and Arts & Crafts) Neil Mitchell – Buyer (Boys’ Toys, Electronic, Games and Outdoor toys) Hayley Wilkinson – Junior Buyer (Pre-school toys)

TESCO UK stores: 3,146 Address: New Tesco House, Delamare Road, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, EN8 9SL Website: www.direct.tesco.com Contact number: 01992 632222 Meet the team: Donna Worsley – Category Director, Toys and Nursery Beverly Bennett – Buying Manager

28 May

Lisa Smith – Head Buyer, Pre-school Peter Strange – Head Buyer, Games & Construction Laura Butler – Head Buyer, Boys Department Ruth Gellar – Head Buyer, Girls Department Nora Bolger – Head Buyer, Software & Teentronics

TK MAXX Laura Flanagan – Buying Manager Claire Dean – Buying Manager John Carlaw – Buying Manager Stephen Owusu – Category Manager, Entertainment John Hext – Buying Manager, Bikes Paul Bangs – Buying Manager, Bikes and Sports Anita Serradimigni – Buying Manager, Nursery

TOY GALAXY UK Stores: 5 Address: Unit 16, Quad Road, East Lane Business Park, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 7NE. Website: www.toygalaxy.co.uk

UK and Ireland stores: 68 Address: Smyths Toys, Lyrr Building 1, Mervue Business Park, Galway, Ireland Website: www.smythstoys.com Contact number: +353 91 743600 Meet the team: AnnMarie Garrett – Buying Controller

Number of UK stores: 277+ Address: 50 Clarendon Road, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD17 1TX Website: www.tkmaxx.com

Contact number: 01923 473561 Meet the team: Beth Carey – Toy Buyer Lindsay Musselwhite – Toy Buyer

TOYMASTER Telephone Number: 020 8904 3699 Meet the team: Bhav Patel – Toy Buyer

UK and Ireland stores: 270 Address: Victoria House, Newport Pagnell Road West, Northampton, NN4 7JJ Website: www.toymaster.co.uk Contact number: 01604 674 477 Meet the team: Ciaran Fitzpatrick – Chairman (Banba Toymaster) Roger Dyson – Managing Director (Central office) Andy Taylor – Director (Toymaster at Ramsdens) Julian Hartﬁeld – Director (Kids

Stuff Toymaster) Ian Edmunds – Marketing and Operations Director (Central office) Colin Farrow – Finance and IT Director (Central office)

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BUYERS GUIDE 2014 TOYS R US UK stores: 80+ Address: Maidenhead Office park, Westacott Way, Maidenhead, SL6 3QH Website: www.toysrus.co.uk Contact number: 01628 414141 Meet the team: Chris Ashton – Buyer, Pre-school and Educational Toys Karen Dennett – Buyer, Girls’ toys

TOYTOWN Anna Waite – Buyer, Boys and Vehicles Evelyn Chiu – Buyer, Construction, Games and Puzzles James Vallis – Sports Toy Buyer Paul Mitchell – Merchandise Manager Sarah Harding – Buyer, Arts & Crafts, Wooden Toys and Science

WATERSTONES Number of UK stores: 280 Address: 203/206 Piccadilly, London W1J 9HD Contact: Kit.Clothier@

www.toynews-online.biz

Contact: 02891 282 828 / Brian@smf-toys.com Meet the team: Brian Simpson – Buyer Andrew Addley - Buyer

WH Smith waterstones.com Meet the team: Kit Clothier – Buyer, games and Children’s Non Books Products

WILKINSON Number of UK stores: 374 Address: Wilkinson JK House, PO BOX 20, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S80 3YY Website: www.wilko.com

Number of UK and Ireland stores: 24 (A further two planned to open mid 2014). Address: SMF Ltd. Unit 1 Kiltonga Industrial Estate, Old Belfast Road, Newtownards, BT23 4TJ

Number of UK stores: 1,000+ Address: Victoria House 4th Floor, 37-63 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1B 4DA Website: www.whsmith.co.uk

Contact number: 01793 616161 Meet the team: Carey Mutter – Junior Buyer, Health & Beauty, Toys & Games & Soft Toys Shirley Beadle – Trading Controller

WOOLWORTHS.CO.UK Contact number: 08000 329 329 Meet the team: Zara Smith – Toy Buyer Ryan Baron – Assistant Buyer

Address: Shop Direct, Skyways House, Speke Road, Speke, Liverpool, L70 1AB Contact: 0844 292 1000 / Website: www.woolworths.co.uk Meet the team: Andrea Gornall – Senior Buyer (Girls’

Toys and Arts & Crafts) Neil Mitchell – Buyer (Boys’ Toys, Electronic, Games and Outdoor Toys) Hayley Wilkinson – Junior Buyer (Pre-school toys)

May 29

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TOYMASTER

A regal gathering This month, The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate will once again play host to the annual Toymaster show. Popular with both suppliers and indie retailers alike, it is a must-attend event in the calendar. ToyNews takes a look at what some of the suppliers will be displaying, while also asking for their best show memory EACH YEAR the Toymaster show sells out quicker and quicker. In 2012, all space at The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate was ﬁlled by the end of January. In 2013, the show sold out in just two weeks, with Toymaster conﬁrming the sell out in mid-January. This year, it took just seven days. There is a great deal of affection for the threeday event among the toy trade, both in terms of the business that can be done and the social aspect (previous evenings at The Majestic, for example, have included fancy dress, Nerf guns and, err … an impromptu performance

Roger Martin Managing Director Coiledspring Games

What will you be showing? Bladez will be showcasing our elite range of Land, Sea & Air Super Nano Gadgets; The micro radio controlled Volkswagen Campervan is

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of The Full Monty (more on this later)). Suppliers as varied as Mattel, Hasbro, LEGO, Flair, VTech and Character Options through to West Design, Holland Publishing, Melissa & Doug, Games Workshop and Fairyglass to name a few are in attendance, with indies having the very real chance of spotting a hidden gem in the different rooms. Over the next few pages, we chat to execs from a number of suppliers about what they will be showing at the event and why it’s such a must-attend show, as well as getting the lowdown on some of their best Toymaster moments.

Firstly, what will your company be showcasing at Toymaster? We will be taking the full range but with a particular emphasis on pre-stocked CDUs that Toymaster members can pretty much unpack, put on the shelf and start selling straight away. Also keep an eye out for the new Tenzi product line – there’s a brilliant starter pack for that with a free in-store demo set.

Will you be running any special show offers? We’ll be running a new line incentive on the Purple Cow pre-packed CDUs – buy all four in the range for a ten per cent discount. We’re also reducing our carriage paid to £150 and offering sale or return on some items – plus extended payment terms.

a 1:64 scale model of the 1962 classic. The Bladez Micro RC Yacht has full radio control functionality and performs effortlessly in water. Bladez have also engineered some of the world’s smallest radio controlled helicopters and quadcopters. We will also be showing our JUMBO radio controlled inﬂatable range; as exclusive licence holders, Bladez will be demonstrating many characters within the range

including Star Wars’ R2-D2, Disney’s Lightning McQueen and Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob Squarepants… not forgetting our Minions.

Why is Toymaster such an important event in the toy industry calendar? As well as being a fabulous

Will you be running any special show offers? We will be running our best ever Toymaster deal, with 100 per cent guaranteed sales and free stock. As well as fantastic margins, we also offer all of our retailers great marketing support, including POS units and demo videos.

opportunity to meet current retail partners and potential new ones, it’s an opportunity to network within the organisation. Yes – we write a lot of business these days, but it is also a great opportunity to get feedback from Toymaster members on what’s going well, what they’d like us to stock more of – all in a relaxed environment. For us, it kickstarts the second half of the year.

How important are the independent toy stores to your business? Very important – as are all our retail partners – we couldn’t do it without them. What is your best memory of Toymaster? I remember the ﬁrst time I exhibited. I didn’t write much business, but got a lot of friendly advice which help me understand the toy industry and clarify the company vision.

Why is Toymaster such an important event? It is a great way to meet a large proportion of the indie toy trade all in one location. We like to use the opportunity to discuss marketing and sales strategies, plus focus on individual marketing plans. How important are the indies to your business? Very important, as they have the ability to present the products in a way which most nationals cannot.

Iain Morgan CEO Bladez Toys May 31

TOYMASTER What will Brainstorm be showcasing? All our brands will be on show and there will be particular focus on our four catalogue lines that have been selected from our in-house Brainstorm Toys range and Aqua Dragons. Our new pocket money brand Magno-Z will also see its ﬁrst outing for the Toymaster members. Nick Saunders Sales and Marketing Director Brainstorm

Will you be running any special show offers? Yes we will have an

with prizes for the winners.

What will Green Board Games be showcasing at the Toymaster event? Our main aim is to showcase our two new family games; Name 5 and the brilliant new BrainBox Board Game. Both will be demonstrated at the show

Adrian Leafe Senior National Accounts Manager John Crane

What will you be showcasing? Will you have any special offers? We will be showing a variety of products from character pencils, to preschool toys and puppets. Educational Magnetic chart titles include Times Tables, Phonics, French Words, Fractions and First Words, while the Our Week magnetic planner can be easily customised to accommodate family 32 May

Will you be running any special show offers? We will be offering double discount on all orders taken at the show. This is a huge offer and we are really excited to present to Toymaster members for 2014. Why is Toymaster such an important event in the toy industry calendar?

attractive free stock offer for the show. There will also be an opening offer for Magno-Z that will allow the members to procure a TV CDU free of charge with their opening order. Why is Toymaster such an important event? To me it is one of the important signals for the year ahead. You get a real sense from the independents as to how the UK & Irish business will shape up. It is also another

The timing of the show is a great way to understand how the members are doing and gather really useful feedback. This helps us focus on meeting the needs and wants of the independent sector. How important are the independent toy stores to your business? Toy stores are key to our business. The independent stores have a unique ability to provide product feedback from close

What will John Crane be showcasing at the Toymaster event? John Crane will be showing LucKeys from B, as well as Wheeee-ls which are chunky vehicles that make their own special noise – for example the car rings, truck chimes, racer rattles and the taxi squeaks. In Bristle Blocks, we will be showing the 85-piece Big Value Case and the 113-piece Deluxe Builder Case. All of the B boxes are made from recycled paper,

even the plastic that holds the toys in place are recyclable too. For every B toy sold, B gives a portion of sales to Free the Children.

member names, days of the week and activities. It includes 85 magnetic pieces and a board pen. We are offering generous discounts, too.

we know that it is well attended across the industry and a great opportunity to meet with buyers face to face mid-year.

Why is Toymaster such an important event in the toy industry calendar? We are about to ﬁnd out - as it is our ﬁrst one! But seriously,

great event for meeting customers generally and the members certainly have their buying heads on. The show itself is very well organised and has grown in importance for clients outside of the Toymaster group. How important are the independent toy stores to your business? They are very important and key to our distribution strategy overall for the UK and Ireland.

customer interaction which no other sales avenue offers us. What is your best memory of Toymaster? My best memory of Toymaster is the year with the Moulin Rouge theme, and we were all given Nerf guns. The poor singing ringmaster was trying to sing Roxanne but got bombarded by hundreds of Nerf Bullets - but to his credit he just kept right on singing!

Will you be running any special show offers? Yes we will be running a promotion, but only for orders written at the show. Why is Toymaster such an important event in the toy industry calendar? It is a good time to catch up and an excellent chance to show all of the Toymaster members our new products.

How important are the independent toy stores to your business? Very important, they always have been a major component of our customer base. Why did you decide to exhibit at Toymaster?

What is your best memory of Toymaster? My best memory of the Toymaster show is the one that I would rather forget… it’s the ﬁrst time that this Saunders has had to refuse a breakfast that had already been paid for!

We have been hearing very positive comments about the show and wanted to be part of it. Over the last few years Toymaster shops have become a strong part of Fiesta’s customer base and it is a fabulous opportunity to meet the buyers in a friendly atmosphere. It comes at a very good time of year as Fiesta are about to release many new products and shops can try them out ready for the Christmas season.

Lance Thompson National Sales Manager Green Board Games

How important are the independent toy stores to your business? Very important - they give us good product distribution. What is your best memory of Toymaster? Seeing lots of customers that I know from when I was on the road and, of course, the social side.

Rob Trup Managing Director Fiesta Crafts www.toynews-online.biz

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TOYMASTER

Gemma Porter Marketing Manager Interplay

What will Ravensburger be showcasing at the Toymaster event? We will be showcasing our onestop POS solutions, to date we have installed over 200m of tegmental and light boxes within independent stores. Will you be running any special show offers? We will be offering up to 25 per cent off key TV and catalogue lines.

What will Interplay be showcasing? Interplay will be showcasing the brand new GoldieBlox range, representing a whole new and exciting engineering concept. We will also be exhibiting existing bestselling brands such as myStyle and My Living World, displaying new kits within each range, whilst also presenting the brand new look for the Wild Science collection, plus much more.

Why is Toymaster such an important event in the toy industry calendar? People and relationships are important to us. The Toymaster show is a toy trade tradition and the mix of social and business interaction is always enjoyable.

What will Wow Toys be showcasing? This year we will show a great range of sub £6.00 retail price points (£1.99, £4.99 and £5.99) for toddlers and also our Advent Calendars which have gone down a storm with big forward orders. All the top buyers have given them the green light. They are the only toddler Advent Calendars on the market. Nadim Ednan-Laperouse Managing Director Wow Toys

What will you be showing? Will you be running any special show offers? Harrogate is the ﬁrst opportunity for us to show our new spring lines to the Toymaster members. With six new puzzles, we now have over 240 jigsaws

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Will you be running any special show offers?

in our range. The new additions include scenes of Portishead and Salcombe. We will also be taking forward orders on our Limited Edition Christmas Puzzle - Christmas Market. Finally we will be presenting our TV plans for Pass the Bomb – the ﬁrst time the brand has been advertised and a ﬁrst for TV support from Gibsons. Our show offer focuses on our jigsaws. Buyers who place an order over £450 can choose a free

Will you be running any special show offers? Yes – place an order over the value of £550 and receive £210 worth of product at retail free. Why is Toymaster such an important event in the toy industry calendar?

How important are the independent toy stores to your business? Independent business is still a signiﬁcant proportion of our total turnover. The Toymaster members support the show, it has always been a fair trade off, we showcase the support we can offer to the members, and in return write a signiﬁcant value of orders. What is your best memory of Toymaster?

You can count on Wow Toys to have a brilliant show offer giving enhanced retail margins and some great half price offers. Why is Toymaster such an important event? The Toymaster show is my ﬁrm favourite. It’s a time to really get ‘stuck in’ and get feedback from the members and do a bit of catching up with other suppliers. If I had a magic wand, I would wish Toymaster to have many

bundle worth £72 at RRP, which include either eight children’s puzzles from our Spot the Sillies range, or six 1,000pc adult jigsaws. Why is Toymaster such an important event? It’s one of the few times in the year where we get the opportunity to meet partners with whom we’ve enjoyed great relationships over the years, as well as meeting new faces. Gibsons has supplied toy retailers for almost a

Toymaster is an incredibly important part of the Interplay sales and marketing calendar. The Toymaster group collectively represents a great proportion of the independent toy sector in the UK; therefore, the show has incredible signiﬁcance and inﬂuence in this division. How important are the independent toy stores to your business? We believe in the

Well, over the years there have been a few memorable moments. None more so than last year when two 60 year olds performed a famous scene from The Full Monty in front of everybody. That alone was funny, but what was even funnier was listening to one of our agents reciting her thoughts as she watched her dad performing this very famous scene. They were great sports.

more stores/members each year. How important are the indie toy stores to you? The indie toy stores are crucial to all the good brands and for Wow Toys it is a place where the public can see a wider selection of our products and get a better understanding of our

importance of the individual toy shop and see our products sitting perfectly within their own portfolios. A visit to the toy shop is still an important experience in any child’s life and acts as a front window for the entire industry. What is your best memory of Toymaster? Ice creams in the Carriage Suite during a particularly hot show. Beautiful.

Derek Scott General Sales Manager Ravensburger

brand. For such stores we install illuminated shop-ﬁts to enhance the shopper’s buying experience. What is your best memory of Toymaster? Last year’s show when Wow had its biggest ever haul of orders placed over the three days. Got to beat that number this year!

century and we really value their support. With puzzles we have a genuinely yearround business and toy shops enable customers to see our new images, to study packaging and to understand concepts, which they cannot do on the internet. Best memory? My best memory (pea shooters apart) was in 2012 when our SW sales agent, Martyn George was awarded his Golden Teddy.

Nick Wright Managing Director Gibsons May 35

TOYMASTER

Wendy Hicks Toy Account Manager West Design Products

What will you be showing? University Games will be showcasing our new children’s and family games. Both will be receiving extensive TV

Thierry Bourret Founder and MD Asobi

What will Tomy be showcasing at the Toymaster event? We will be showcasing our full range of toy products including Lamaze, Winnie the Pooh, Chuggington, Aquadoodle, Dinosaur Train, our fantastic range of infant and toddler toys and, of course, the fabulous Britains and John Deer Farm range. Will you be running any special show offers? We will be running an 36 May

What will West Design Products be showcasing at the Toymaster event? For 2014 we will be showing our new The LEGO Movie stationery lines – this range has been a huge success for us since the release of the movie back in February. We also have several new Creativity for Kids lines to add to our already extensive craft range, with Sew Cute Octopus being my favourite.

Will you be running any special show offers? We will have a variety of special deals available to Toymaster members including both immediate and September delivery, special The LEGO Movie Stationery packages, along with re-offering the Toby Toymaster branded products at a special price.

campaigns. Bunny Jump is the action game for children full of fun and suspense, as they try to take bunny’s carrots from the ﬁeld, being careful not to frighten him, as any minute he will jump into the air. First to catch him, may well win the game. Chicken Charades is a fast, fun action game. Try to have your team guess the word, and to do it you have to use the squeaky chicken. We also have our new Mini Games range,

handy size versions of our core games such as Sort It Out and 5 Second Rule. A new arts and crafts range will be on show, My Studio Girl. Offering three areas of creativity – sewing, creating and modelling – it will interest creative boys and girls.

What will Asobi be showcasing at the Toymaster event? We will be showing as many of our brands as we can on the small space we have at the show. Since merging with Alyss Toys last year our portfolio has doubled. We will, of course, be showcasing PLUG, the new construction toy that makes dream dens possible, which was a great hit at the Toy Fair. We were absent last year so are looking forward to being

added value special offer across all our ranges.

Why is Toymaster such an important event in the toy industry calendar? It’s important to attend

Will you be running any special show offers? We do have great offers for placing orders at the show. They cover both our new and existing products.

High Street and need our support in providing their consumers with quality product at the right price.

as it allows you to meet buyers that you don’t get to meet at Toy Fair. How important are the independent toy stores to your business? Independent retailers are the lifeline of the

What is your best memory of Toymaster? First becoming a supplier to the Toymaster group, our business has soared with the independents since doing so. We very much enjoy working with all Toymaster members and helping both themselves and Toymaster Group to grow their businesses.

Why is Toymaster such an important event? It is our chance to return the support given to us each year, by the group and its members. How important is the indie sector to your business? Very important. Not only do they maintain a presence on the High Street, but offer support year round. Best memory? Finding out Ian Edmunds is a Quo fan.

part of this important date in the UK toy calendar.

Why is Toymaster such an important event in the toy industry calendar? It presents an opportunity to meet with Toymaster members and it is also a huge social event in the toy industry and great to be part of.

Will you be running any special show offers? Yes we are, we will be running individual special offers per brand. Visitors will have to come to our stand to ﬁnd out more.

How important are the independent toy stores to your business? We like independents and have always supported independent retailers. This is our chance to meet with

Why is Toymaster such an important event in the toy industry calendar? The Toymaster event is important to us as it’s a great opportunity not only to meet with all our customers but to showcase the great new products that are available. The show also provides a great platform to take orders from our customers, making it a key selling point of the year.

How important are the independent toy stores to your business? The indie toy stores are an extremely important part to our business providing a real base within the industry for our products. We are able to quickly launch new items and it is always great to get buy in to our brands from these important retailers based on every High Street round the country.

Adrian Whyles General Manager University Games

those retailers in a good setting where they have more time to chat than in their shop or at the Toy Fair. What is your best memory of Toymaster? It was a fancy dress party two years ago. I won’t say any more than that, as what goes on at the Toymaster show stays at the Toymaster show (or sometimes goes on Facebook).

Matthew Woolf Head of Customer Marketing Tomy www.toynews-online.biz

MYSTERY SHOPPER

Norwich

This month, Mystery Shopper heads to the East Anglian city in search of a play-set for a three year old girl

LANGLEY’S

HAWKIN’S BAZAAR I nearly tripped over a child power sliding along a floor piano as I entered this store. Jumping quickly out of the way, I met a table of backflipping puppies. To my right, small penguins in rockets whizzed around an outer space themed circuit. The store was alive with madness. I walked around the shop, passing a number of playsets, pocket money nik naks, craft sets and an array of sweets. The shop appeared to have all corners covered. Tasked with finding a playset for a three year old girl, I headed towards the pre-

Unit 1, Castle Mall Shopping Centre school section. A selection of weird and wonderful toys stared back at me, including a Jack in the Box Clown, Dress Up People and a role play Doctor’s Kit. After five minutes I decided to ask for some advice. “A play-set for a three year old…” mused the store assistant. “All I can think, off the top of my head, are these,” he said, leading me to a stand filled with Robofish. “You just pop ‘em in the water and watch ‘em swim,” he continued. “They make great pets for that age.” I did like them, but asked what else he could offer.

A short while passed before hesitantly, he took me back to the pre-school selection. “These Princess sets are popular with girls, but might be a bit too old,” he informed me. “Other than that, I’m not too sure what to suggest.” I thanked him and hung around just long enough for him to return. “Girls seem to love our ﬂuffy animals by the way,” he said pointing to a wall of cuddly pigs, kittens, puppies and ducks. As cute as they were, sadly on this occasion I had to leave them where they were.

Verdict: A great product offering, ranging from pocket money lines to larger playsets and toys for all sectors. There were plenty of obscure, independent and quirky toys to choose. The pre-school selection was equally varied with a lot of great lines. Unfortunately, none of these were suggested. The service was very friendly, but seemed to lack depth of knowledge. Asking a few questions may have helped. 38 May

3/5

Langleys’ window display alone looked like Santa had vomited Christmas all over the shop front. Each window was done up to the nines in some of the most popular toy lines. It looked like every child’s dream. The store itself was unending. From my position by the front entrance, I could see rows of toys stretch the depth of two rooms, with the same again upstairs. The ground ﬂoor boasted aisles and walls brimming with toys for younger children, while upstairs was ﬁlled with models, collectables, puzzles for older kids and adults, and even replica Lord of the Rings swords for the real enthusiasts. Enthused, I embarked on my mission, and this is when things unfortunately, got strange.

12-14 The Royal Arcade Rounding a corner of an aisle, I caught the eye of a shop assistant. “Hello, I am looking for a play-set for a three year old girl,” I said. “A play-set?” she questioned. “You don’t want a doll?” I told her she had lots of dolls, so I was after something a bit different. “Hmm, I don’t know really,” she replied. “We have this princess-y stuff and LEGO, but she’s probably too young for that.” Willing her to show me a few of the other lines I had already spied, she turned back to the dolls. “All I can suggest is dolls, really.” She wandered along the aisle. “Ooh, how about Fuzzy Felt?” she said, pointing to a battered box held together with sticky tape. “Just a thought…” she said, as she turned and walked away.

Verdict: From it’s appearance, Langleys had everything going for it. The store was, however, let down by customer service. I was left confused as to whether it was lack of patience or knowledge that made the assistant so eager to be rid of me.

2/5

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MYSTERY SHOPPER

STAR STORE

SUMMARY

TICKETY-BOO! The friendly “hello” from the girl behind the till gave Tickety-Boo an immediate relaxed atmosphere. The shop was bursting with all manner of toys, wooden play-sets, puppets, plush, early years products, books and more. I found myself drawn to a collection of wooden kitchen play-sets and kitchen accessories from Haba and a variety of puzzles and games from Djeco.

55 London Street, Norwich Lanes “Do you need any help at all?” asked the friendly girl. I told her that I was after a play-set for a three year old girl. “Well, you’re looking at some lovely ones right there,” she informed me with a smile and indicating the puzzles. “Djeco does some great sets, perfect for that age.” I asked about the age guidance of four plus. She explained that the guidance was really for toys with small

parts, and not to do with difficulty. “These pieces are quite big, and children seem to love all the animals or the pirates. These ones even have hidden objects you can challenge them to ﬁnd.” She enthusiastically took me through the collection of wooden puzzles, before then turning her attention to a collection of Haba products. “These are all the wooden role-play sets that children

of that age love. They are always a popular choice.” She then told me that they had even more lines to choose from upstairs. She wasn’t lying either. I reached the top of the stairs to ﬁnd an array of outdoor toys, craft kits, educational sets and more. The girl left me to have a look around, adding “just give me a shout if you need more help.”

5/5

Verdict: This store had plenty to offer with a wide variety of products encompassing a large spectrum of ages. Particular emphasis was placed on the Djeco puzzles and games, a good-looking range that spanned two bays. The customer service was friendly, knowledgeable and very enthusiastic, making for a pleasant and very informative experience.

Norwich city centre is a great destination for shopping with a good mix of indie shops and larger stores. The city has an impressive collection of toy shops, offering everything from smaller name toy lines to the most popular licensed character toys. Positioned in the old Victorian arcade, Langleys’ window display stops you in your tracks, unfortunately this month, the store lost out on customer service. Tickety-Boo takes the top spot for its dedication to service alongside it’s charming collection of wooden jigsaws, games and playsets. A trip out of town, and Norwich continues to surprise, with Kerrison Toys offering all you could need in one store and Dixons Shopping Centre looking after its local community.

DIXONS SHOPPING CENTRE

KERRISON TOYS The girl’s section in Kerrison Toys wasn’t hard to ﬁnd, with aisles brimming with Barbies, My Little Pony, Fur Real Pets, Sylvanian Families and more. In between, the wall was peppered with popular wooden play-sets from Haba. There was plenty to hold my attention. Fifteen minutes later however, and this had started to wane. I approached the till and asked for some expert advice.

353 Aylsham Road She led me back towards the Barbies, changing course as she remembered I was after a play-set. She took me past a wall of arts and crafts kits, telling me they were “popular but can be messy and need adult supervision. We have a lot of licensed puzzles, based on popular kid’s books,” she told me handing me a Tiger that came to Tea puzzle. “These Guess How Much I Love You puzzles

also do very well.” We chatted about a few popular kid’s shows, before she asked: “Does she like Peppa Pig?” Loves it. I followed her to a dedicated section featuring various early years toys. “These sets are great. They all interact with each other, so she can start collecting and building up the range.” I admired her efforts in securing a returning customer.

Verdict: Kerrison Toys seems to have embraced diversification while retaining its identity as first and foremost a toy shop. With a large collection of toys, games, puzzles, craft kits and more, there are plenty of popular and exciting lines to keep you occupied. The customer service was very amiable, confident and knowledgeable. This would have been a top-scoring store, but one point has to be deducted for the lengthy wait.

4/5

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With 20 separate shops housed under one roof, Dixons Shopping Centre boasts two toy shops. Toyz and Gamez is situated towards the back of the centre. A relatively tiny store, it hosts a range of collectibles and popular action ﬁgures. Aimed at a niche market of collectors, the store holds super hero ﬁgures and a few limited edition collectors dolls. Sadly it offers little by way of preschool toys. The storeowner told me that Value for Mummy might be able to help. A few steps along the corridor and there

159 Reepham Road

stood the store with shelves of colourful pre-school toys. “Everything we have here is pre-owned, but we sell it at a better price than the High Street.” I was shown a selection of Wow Toys play-sets, Sylvanian Families ﬁgures and habitats and a couple of My Little Pony ponies. The kind woman showed me a few electronic toy lines, including one from LeapFrog, which in honesty seemed a bit dated. Clearly the shop wasn’t founded on providing the latest in the pre-school sector, but its premise was heartwarming.

Verdict: Dixons Shopping Centre offered a unique experience with strong emphasis on local community. Despite a few toys being quite dated and all unboxed, Value for Mummy does seem dedicated to delivering what it says on the tin.

4/5 May 39

BIG INTERVIEW: SIMBA SMOBY

Guys & Dolls

Billy Langsworthy talks to Simba Smoby’s marketing and licensing manager Alex Kovacevic about why Matt Hatter and Steffi Love are helping 2014 shape up as a year to remember

How has 2014 been for Simba Smoby so far? There’s plenty of 2014 left but we couldn’t have asked for much more. The reaction to our key brands has been fantastic, with every major retailer getting behind both Matt Hatter Chronicles and Steffi Love. Of course the year isn’t over yet, and we have a huge amount of exciting initiatives planned for both brands that will drive sell through and make sure 2014 continues as well as it has started.

will interact with the Villain Vault, recognising which Villain you are locking away. All in all, there will be over 20 SKUs available this autumn across action ﬁgures, collectibles, roleplay and vehicles.

How important is the Matt Hatter Chronicles master toy deal for Simba Smoby? Massively important. Simba Dickie Group is one of the largest toy companies in the world with major partners like Disney and Nickelodeon, but the UK has never before been the primary focus of one of our licence acquisitions. The UK is one of the lead markets for Matt Hatter. When you consider Simba Smoby UK was only founded in 2009, the progression within the structure of the Simba Dickie Group and the wider UK toy market has been incredible, and a real testament to the success of Simba Smoby. The signing of Matt Hatter, one of the most hotly anticipated new brands for some time, sends a statement of intent as to where Simba Smoby is headed in the UK. Why is Simba Smoby a good ﬁt for the property? Several things make Simba a natural home for Matt, the most important being the passion that everyone in the business has for the brand. Matt Hatter has been successful right across the world and the Simba Dickie Group’s huge international distribution footprint matches up with the distribution of the brand. www.toynews-online.biz

As a top 20 UK toy company, we are perfectly placed to help drive this global brand who’s centre of operations resides

Essentially for a new property breaking into the marketplace, Simba Smoby has made Matt Hatter a key priority for 2014.

The UK is a lead market for The Matt Hatter Chronicles, so our expectations for the toy range are high. Alex Kovacevic, Simba Smoby right here in the UK, at the famous Pinewood Film Studios. We are able to work with Platinum Films, who produce Matt Hatter Chronicles, as well as use the international distribution structure alongside the new product development and manufacturing capacity of The Simba Dickie Group.

What Matt Hatter Chronicle toys are launching and when? Our first wave of toys will launch in July, with action figures of Matt, Roxie, Gomez, Tenoroc and the first collection of fearsome SuperVillains. Two more waves of SuperVillain figures will hit stores in the autumn.

There will also be a large 10” Matt Hatter action ﬁgure with loads of cool features, as well as a range of role-play items that replicate the Hatter Hero Tech from the show, starting with Matt’s Cell Blaster. Following will be the Chronicles, featuring an interactive Villain Vault. Uniquely, the collectible life cells that come with each SuperVillain ﬁgure

What are your expectations for the Matt Hatter range? Matt has everything you look for when evaluating a new property: great TV ratings, an established fan base and excellent toyetic content that has been adapted into a hugely compelling toy range. With the activity planned around Matt Hatter and the toy products this year, our expectations are high. Why is 2014 a big year for your Steffi Love brand? Steffi is one of the most established fashion doll brands in the UK, having been around for over 25 years. In all that time, Steffi has never had a consumer marketing programme to drive sales. This year, that all changes. With kids becoming more brand conscious from an increasingly young age, quality at an attractive price point is not enough to generate demand. Retaining the core elements of Steffi Love, the campaign this year will add a level of desirability to the brand never seen before. Steffi Love is coming to life this August through her music, inspirational story and her fabulous lifestyle. She will embody every little girl’s dream and with an 800+ TVR TV advertising campaign to back that up, 2014 really marks a new era for Steffi.

philosophy and overall craft as toymakers. Whether the brand is a new entertainment licence or a new proprietary project, the constant effort to deliver great quality TV advertised product at a good price with a full margin for the retailers will always end in success. What are your main UK aims for this year? To continue our climb towards being one of the UK’s top ten toy suppliers. We’re on course for a fifth consecutive year of double digit growth, driven by these two key properties. Meanwhile, the vehicles market remains very significant and we are looking to hold on to our number two spot in that category. We also want to continue to see growth, particularly with our home delivery ‘dropship’ service. I think we can say that 2014 marks a definite milestone and with our expansion, the increased capacity to look after high profile properties as well as more exciting projects in the pipeline, this is only the beginning for Simba Smoby.

How important is Steffi Love to Simba Smoby? While we do well with licensed ranges, our own brands are incredibly important. Steffi is the ﬂagship brand in our portfolio and stands as a testament to our creativity, May 41

SUPPLIER PROFILE

Jumping Jakks With the upcoming launch of its Nintendo toy range and Plug ‘n’ Play Hero Portal, Jakks Pacific has turned to video games to ‘revolutionise the toy market.’ Robert Hutchins discusses Zelda figures, Batman beat ’em ups and a life size Mario Kart WHEN JAKKS Pacific lifted the lid on its world’s first human compatible Mario Kart earlier this year, kids and parents across the globe, “went bonkers.” The reaction from the internet seemed to support two of the firm’s big beliefs, that consumers are interested in video game licensed toys more now than ever, and that Nintendo is fighting back and still relevant. These were encouraging confirmations then, for a firm that has just become the master toy licensor for Nintendo with a full new range of toys, plush, playsets, and yes, more Mario Kart ride-ons to come. Couple this with the firm’s new Hero Portal range, a collection of some of the most recognisable licensed characters launched to “revolutionise the plug n play category,”

“And for pure toys, dressup, apparel and plush, we are the one stop shop.” Goodison isn’t overstating the matter either, revealing that the

Jakks is bringing video game heritage to life this year and we’re working closely with toy retailers. Ken Goodison, Jakks Pacific and it is evident that Jakks Pacific has the video game and toy cross over market, well and truly covered. “With the scheduled launch of Mario Kart 8 this summer, and McDonald’s running its Mario Happy Meals nationwide, everyone is talking about Nintendo,” Jakks Pacific’s senior marketing director, Ken Goodison tells ToyNews.

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range will be featuring “every single character from the Nintendo universe,” in its two and a half inch ﬁgure and articulated ﬁgure ranges, from Mario and Luigi to The Legend of Zelda. “There is a price bracket that will include everything for everybody,” he explains. “Jakks is bringing the video game heritage to life in

autumn/winter this year, with a huge range that will receive heavy TV support through its launch.” And if the internet response to the Mario Kart ride-on can attest to anything, it is that the ‘everybody’ encompassed by Nintendo’s heritage most certainly includes the nostalgic, adult and ‘big kid’ market. “I think the range could be just as popular among adults as it is with kids,” says Goodison. “It appeals to all those who had the original Wii back in the day, so there is an element of nostalgia, but it is also very relevant to today.” This relevance is the key driver for the international toy ﬁrm that is now also looking to ‘revolutionise

the age old Plug ‘n’ Play market,’ with its new collection, Hero Portals. Featuring characters from the world of DC Super Heroes, Batman, Power Rangers, Turtles and more,

figures can be placed on its portal and beamed onto the TV. Kids can then walk their characters through a series of video game adventures. “Think Skylanders or Disney Infinity, with four main differences,” enthuses Goodison. “The biggest difference is that Hero Portal can connect straight to the TV, with no need for a gaming console. “Add the exclusivity of the licences involved and that the entry price point and expansion figure packs will be cheaper than rivals (around

£7-8 each) and we’re looking at a groundbreaking new product.” With 18 missions to complete and six different levels, the Hero Portal system includes a controller, a portal base, two figures and the ability to swap different heroes to complete challenges, open new levels and use special in-game powers. “Hero Portals can sit in the toy aisle and the gaming aisle. Toy retailers will be able to stick these figures – such as the DC Super Heroes or the Power Rangers – in the middle of their respective toy shelves and kids will pick them up because they are into that particular brand.” But despite borrowing heavily from the video game market with both its Hero Portal and Nintendo range, make no mistake as to who Jakks Pacific is targeting with its new collection this year. “We will be working very closely with all toy retailers,” explains Goodison.

“We are going to do a full call to action with every single PR initiative, and make sure it beneﬁts each and every toy retailer. “This is the opportunity for toy buyers to steal market share back from the video games buyer. So, whether it is through in-store demonstrations, encompassing PR events, tent pole initiatives or full scale kids comic book and magazine campaigns, we will ﬂood every avenue available and make sure every single toy retailer is supported this year,” concludes Goodison. May 43

INVENTORS: DRAGONS’ DEN

Den of equity

It’s one of the more daunting ways of getting a toy to market, but Dragons’ Den gives toy inventors opportunities for funding, advise and exposure. Billy Langsworthy talks to those who survived the Den APPEARING ON national television may sound a daunting prospect for a would-be toy inventor, but BBC show Dragons’ Den has been helping bring toys to retail since landing on screens in 2005. Whether a pitch results in funding or not, inventors have found the exposure, and advise from the Dragons, invaluable. Simon Booth, MD of Kiddimoto, was a Dragons’ Den success story back in 2011, getting the funding he needed from Dragons Duncan Bannatyne and Hilary Devey. Kiddimoto had been around prior to the show, but being in the midst of a recession led to ever tightening cashﬂow. A need for more stock led Booth to apply. He tells ToyNews: “It was simple. I applied on the BBC website, had a phone call in the next couple of days asking a few questions about the business and then two days later I was up in Manchester to do the 44 May

screen test. Two weeks later they called to say they’re ﬁlming next week, come to Pinewood studios.” The pitch went well, and Booth won the backing of the two Dragons, securing a £75,000 investment. Booth and the Dragons soon mutually agreed not to go through with the deal, but he has found that being successful with in the Den

straight after the programme aired, we had contact from the likes of Tesco, John Lewis and Toys R Us. So it was great exposure. “It opened the doors we had been knocking on. They ﬂung open.” The toy sector is also responsible for one of the most successful pitches the Den has ever seen, Theo Paphitis checks out Extreme Fliers’ Terror Wasp in the Den

helped to open doors to ﬁrms that, as an unknown, had been locked shut. “It gives you credibility,” adds Booth. “It’s a seal of approval, a badge of honour. Pretty much

when James Roupell saw all ﬁve Dragons ﬁghting to invest in his Bobo Buddies business earlier this year. Like Booth, Roupell went to the Den for investment to help supply the demand

he was ﬁnding for his BoBo Buddies, a backpack, pillow and blanket all stored inside of a soft toy. Although most pitches and negotiations get around 15 minutes of screen time, Roupell believes inventors considering entering the Den should prepare themselves for a lengthier examination. “I was in there for just under two hours,” Roupell tells ToyNews. “They are looking to invest real money so they don’t leave any stone unturned. You’re in a studio surrounded by lights and cameras with no notes, so it’s a bizarre environment to be in and pretty nervewracking. “You spend half your time pitching to them, and then I had the unique experience of having them pitching to me.” With all Dragons desperate for his signature, Roupell eventually went with Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden, but

outside of the Den he decided to turn down their investment. Roupell adds: “Both sides know the agreement you make in the Den is very much a gentlemen’s agreement. I was interested to see what value they could add to my business but at the same time, I was always nervous of giving away a large chunk of my business. “I felt for the amount of money it was, it wasn’t worth me giving up that much of my business. “I’d never relied on Dragons’ Den. I’d already arranged meetings with other investors and after the Den I realised there were other options without giving away equity. It wasn’t because of them, it was because I was offered a much better deal.” Despite this, Roupell ﬁrmly believes being on Dragons’ Den helped his business immeasurably. “I’ve been overwhelmed by just how much it has done for our business. It www.toynews-online.biz

INVENTORS: DRAGONS’ DEN was ﬁlmed a year ago, and being able to say ‘coming soon on Dragons’ Den’ has attracted a huge amount of interest from retailers and customers alike. “Since the airing, our online sales have gone through the roof. The value it has added to our business is priceless. “From a brand awareness point of view, millions of people now know about our brand and that’s also priceless.” While the response in the UK has been invaluable, BoBo Buddies has also beneﬁtted from the global reach of the show. “We’ve had all sorts of orders from abroad,” continues Roupell. “I’ve been told by others that have been in the Den, you’ll have a sudden boost in sales from Scandinavia because in a few months time, it’ll be shown there. It’s far reaching.” Despite failing in getting funding from the Dragons, the Den experience also proved fruitful for Extreme Fliers CEO and founder Vernon Kerswell, who went looking for a £75,000 investment in 2009. At only 21, the Dragons felt he was still too young to invest in, but Kerswell owes a lot to the show. “It was an alternative way to start a business. We were just starting out and looking for ways to bootstrap the business, it offered the chance to raise funds, get exposure BoBo Buddies inventor James Roupell eventually turned down investment from the Dragons, but says the value of appearing on the show is priceless.

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Ubooly co-creator Isaac Squires explains how he launched an app toy that talks and listens to children Kiddimoto MD Simon Booth (above) claims that appearing on Dragons’ Den opened doors to retailers that were ﬁrmly shut before.

and get some good advice,” Kerswell tells ToyNews. “Reality TV such as Dragons’ Den brings the product into a more realistic social environment which allows the product to show off the cool features and makes it more personable, which is what it did for us when Theo picked up the controller and ﬂew it around the room - he loved it.” Five years down the line, Kerswell has no regrets in how his experience in the Den turned out. He adds: “Dragons’ Den was fantastic for the product. “Although I didn’t get investment, that turned out to be a blessing because we now have a successful business turning over £2 million, projected to turnover £100 million in two years, and if the Dragons had invested, we would have had to give 40 per cent to them. “The exposure after the Den helped generate sales, introduce us to dozens of offers of investment as well as hundreds of emails

of support which still keep coming in to this day. It also helped introduce me to experienced mentors and industry contacts.” So should budding inventors pluck up the courage to enter the Den? “Deﬁnitely,” says Kiddimoto’s Booth. “Know your business and be conﬁdent that you’re going in there with a pretty solid business plan. “Know your numbers. If you’ve got a great product, you believe in it, and you’ve got evidence that you’re selling, it would be received well.” Extreme Fliers’ Kerswell adds: “Do it for the exposure but make sure it’s a good product and you practice the pitch. Be prepared to answer all the questions they might have and have fun - that way you’ll make it interesting and entertaining. “It’s serious business but it’s good to be lighthearted, humble, show your passion and live life as an adventure to win the hearts and minds of viewers.” BoBo Buddies’ Roupell agrees, but advises caution: “I’d recommend it to anyone, but you can’t just expect it to send you into the stratosphere. It’s how you use it. Certain people sit back and expect everything to just happen once you’ve been on TV. We’ve been sure to take full advantage of it. “They require a proven track record with proven sales. Any evidence that shows there is a demand for the product. You may have ‘x’ amount of followers on social media, you’ve had ‘x’ amount of pledges on Kickstarter. All that proves there are people out there who will buy your product, even if you haven’t launched it yet.”

WHEN we started Ubooly, we didn’t know much at all about the toy industry. Carly and I spent six months (part-time) creating our initial prototype and learning about typical toy distribution models. While we had a few intros into toy companies at this time, it was obvious that we weren’t even close to registering on their radar. We had always planned to apply to TechStars in Boulder [a mentorshipdriven seed funding ﬁrm], and as part of proving our case we launched Ubooly on Kickstarter. The project was successfully funded and we attended a dozen or so trade shows to build some awareness. One of our Kickstarter backers had experience in manufacturing and offered to invest. He eventually became an operational partner in the business and helped us to get our initial batch of product produced in China. Once accepted to TechStars we were really focused on customer development, beta testing the product with kids and trying to focus on core features that

were resonating with our initial audience. The app changed a lot in that period of time (within six months we released four different experiences). Ultimately TechStars was a huge catalyst, leading to meetings with a number of investors and SoftTech, who co-led our seed ﬁnancing. We also had a dozen angels and mentors from the Boulder community invest in the company. A year later, we’re on shelves in Apple and SoftBank stores internationally, and the conversations with other toy companies have picked up dramatically. We’re on track to partner with several brands in 2015, supplying the technology and likely acting as the manufacturer and distributor. We’re now in the process of raising our next round of funding and determining the right partners for our next stage of growth. Hopefully in another year we’ll have a range of popular characters running on Smart Toy with company apps and accessories. May 45

IT’S ADVENTURE TIME! One of Cartoon Network’s most popular shows, ADVENTURE TIME focuses on 3 main themes: FRIENDSHIP, COMEDY and of course ADVENTURE!

18 130M lanuages

homes reached

fan videos downloaded

15M page views

50+ licenses signed

35M 160 web games played

episodes, 5 seasons taking content into 2016

contact licensing.emea@turner.com for all Adventure Time licensing opportunities Adventure Time and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © 2014 Cartoon Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.

13.3M global Facebook fans

BAFTA & EMMY 2013 award winner

News Media Opinion

Dedicated monthly licensing coverage for the UK

Master toy being sought to soar with Q Pootle 5 Potential for toys is ‘very strong indeed’ says licensing agency for the successful publishing brand By Samantha Loveday THE FIRST products in the Q Pootle 5 licensing programme will begin to roll out from the autumn, with Rocket Licensing keen to now add a master toy partner to the mix. The Q Pootle 5 TV series is one of Cbeebies’ highest rating programmes, with some 5.5 million people having seen the show to date, while it has also received over 1.5 million views on iPlayer. In the ﬁrst week of 2014 alone, the show reached a combined average of 611,000 viewers across its 7.30am and 4.50pm showings. Rocket Licensing – which is managing the licensing campaign – has so far signed a number of deals. These include Walker Books for global TV tie

in publishing, Immediate Media for slots in Cbeebies Weekly and Toybox magazines, Egmont for ‘All About’ and standalone magazines, Jumbo for games and puzzles, Cooneen & Misirli for

nightwear, underwear and socks, VMC for accessories and Rainbow Productions for character costumes. The ﬁrm is currently in discussions with a number of other partners for categories including DVD, toys and games, apparel, lunchware, bags, creative play and science kits. “The engaging characters, locations and vehicles offer a wide range of possibilities,” Charlie Donaldson, joint managing director at Rocket Licensing told ToyNews. “Plush and hard toy lines and science kits are medium-term opportunities

for the brand, but the potential for Q Pootle 5 toys is very strong indeed.” Donaldson points out that licensed product should be driven by the values of ‘fun, friendship and imaginative play’ that have helped to make the

“Any partner needs to understand the world that has been created and the strong values of the show and reflect that in their output. The series has diverse, strong stories and rich, nuanced characters that people can identify with. “Nick Butterworth’s drawings, and the animations on which they are based, give us a strong platform for toy lines. They are simple but engaging and instantly identifiable.” Butterworth himself has also been very supportive in promoting the property – having appeared at Brand Licensing Europe and Toy Fair – and Donaldson is confident of the enormous potential of Q Pootle 5 in consumer products. “Rushing into deals isn’t an option,” he said. “If potential partners show genuine potential and

The animations are simple but engaging and instantly identiﬁable. Charlie Donaldson, Rocket publishing a success. The books by Nick Butterworth have sold nearly one million copies worldwide.

understanding of the brand, we’ll work with them.” Rocket Licensing: 020 7207 6243

NEWS

Toy category high on Eureka’s agenda Firm keen to announce initial range of new product launches for spring/summer 2015 by Samantha Loveday THE EUREKA brand is looking to extend into the licensing arena, with the toy category being one of the ﬁrst targets.

Eureka is supported by experts based at the National Children’s Museum, who have designed and built exhibitions and programmes which aim to nurture and sustain the natural curiosity children are born with. The firm is all about learning through play, so is keen to develop toys that allow children to let their imaginations go wild. Initially targeting five to seven year olds, Eureka wants to focus on science and technology, the great outdoors and creative play. “We are firm believers in learning by stealth and we certainly don’t want to prescribe how a game or toy should

be played or used; we want children to take a Eureka toy and create endless play possibilities,” Michelle Emerson (pictured), marketing and development director

“We want to work with licensees who have a genuine interest in the power of play and in the joy of creating something awesome. We want to team up with people who

at Eureka, explained to ToyNews. “We want to engage young minds and captivate their imaginations and inspire a love of learning.” Stationery and arts and crafts products are also being eyed up by the ﬁrm: “These sectors are

are able to look at the world through the eyes of a child and we know that the UK toy market is full of really creative people who can help us bring the brand to life. “SEN (Special Education Needs) is very important to us, too. Indeed, we

all about letting children use their own initiative and imagination and are, therefore, an ideal ﬁt with the Eureka concept,” Emerson continued. However, Emerson is quite clear on the kind of partner that Eureka is looking for.

would like all of our products to be accessible to all children.” Eureka is currently working with Pink Key Consulting to put together the initial licensing programme. Pink Key Consulting: 01279 505455

DINOSAUR ROAR HEADS OUT ON NATIONAL TOUR Classic picture book Dinosaur Roar will soon be transferring to the stage, after Nurture Rights secured a multi-year deal with the Birmingham Stage Company. The tour will begin next year and run into 2016. It will feature giant dinosaur puppets based on Paul Stickland’s designs and will include songs. Nurture Rights: 020 7947 4156

BLE 2014 LICENSE THIS OPEN FOR ENTRIES Entries are now being accepted for Brand Licensing Europe’s 2014 License This competition. License This offers new creative concepts the chance to break into the global licensing industry. It is open to any new property with its roots in publishing, art and design, TV or digital media. Deadline is Friday, September 5th. www.brandlicensing.eu

Studio 100 wants Maya to fly in the UK Firm looking to build on encouraging ratings for new series by growing consumer products programme by Samantha Loveday STUDIO 100 is looking to build the profile of the company and its Maya the Bee brand in the UK. Maya the Bee arrived on UK TV screens in January and the firm says it has seen impressive viewing figures in the first few months of broadcasting on digital channel, Tiny Pop. The brand has been sold to more than 160 countries and Studio 100 is now keen to explore consumer products opportunities in the UK. “The main challenge we are facing is that Maya the Bee does not have the heritage in the UK that she does in the rest of Europe,” said Marie-Laure Marchand (pictured),

international licensing director at Studio 100. “The pre-school market is also very competitive in the UK and makes it difficult for new brands to gain distribution. “We will look at ﬁnding different ways to reach the consumers creating a connection with them through creative marketing initiatives, as well as offering our existing products via online platforms. “The UK ratings for Maya the Bee have been really encouraging, with it being one of the top three watched shows on Tiny Pop according to parents of children aged 0 to three years.” Studio 100: +32 477 751 366

IN BRIEF VIVID GROWS UNION J COLLECTION Vivid is extending its range of Union J merchandise after a strong show of support at retail. As well as the collectable 12-inch dolls, the range will now include keychains, Celebz ﬁgurines and a game. The boy band, made famous on The X Factor has been taking part in a number of retail signings of the dolls. Vivid: 01483 449944 www.toynews-online.biz

SONY PARTNERS WITH 3A FOR KILLZONE FIGURES SCEE has teamed with toy and collectable merchandise firm 3A for a line of official limited edition figurines based on its Killzone video games franchise. The 12.5-inch Hazmat Trooper figure is due to launch in Q3 and will feature the character’s signature Helghast light up red eyes, armour and weaponry. SCEE: 020 7859 0000

SAMBRO TO DEVELOP GARFIELD MERCHANDISE Bulldog Licensing has teamed with Sambro for a new line of products featuring Garﬁeld. These will include backpacks, 3D backpacks, trolley bags, stationery and puzzles for the UK market. The deal follows Bulldog’s recent signing with Brand International for a range of Garﬁeld slippers. Sambro: 0161 707 5555 May 49

1-5

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Pre-School

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A monthly guide dedicated to the biggest sector in toys

‘Get out and Play’ campaign to push First Builders range Summer initiative aims to help children and parents recognise the value of outdoor play

By Billy Langsworthy MEGA BRANDS is launching a range of retail promotions and offers designed around a ‘Get out and Play’ theme, set to boost sales of its First Builders range. The campaign, running throughout May, is being backed by TV tagging, direct mail, social media, tailored media promotions, as well as premium national press competitions. “An umbrella campaign for a host of tailored retailer promotions and offers centred around an outdoor theme, it is just the ﬁrst of a number of www.toynews-online.biz

key tent poles that Mega Brands will be running this year, to help support retailer activity and ultimately drive interest and further increase sales,” Peter Fuller, European marketing manager at Mega Brands UK told ToyNews. “The campaign has been created using our expertise in learning and development, which spans more than 25 years. “We have focused on existing products as well as new launches within Mega Bloks First Builders, Jeep, CAT and John Deere, including large vehicles,

ride ons, small and medium wheeled toys, our iconic building bags and even bath toys, encouraging parents to get inventive and use them outside in a ﬁlled baby bath.

point of view. Because they are easy to clean, they are a great multi-purpose addition to any family home. With a wide range of products for both boys and girls aged one to ﬁve,

Get Out and Play will show parents how outdoor play can help their kids reach key milestones. Peter Fuller, Mega Brands UK “Our First Builders building blocks are all compatible with our licensed pre-school brands, so they are packed with play value from a parent’s

there really is something for everyone.” As well as getting kids outside, Mega Brands hopes to help parents recognise the value of

outdoor play for their children. “From a marketing perspective, ‘Get Out and Play’ will help parents recognise how, with a helping hand from Mega Bloks, outdoor playtime can support developmental beneﬁts, helping children to reach key physical, creative and cognitive milestones,” added Fuller. The Get Out and Play promotions have been planned with a number of retailers, but if others would like to discuss further, they can call the Mega Brands UK office on 01844 350033. May 51

NEWS

Comment A PARENT BLOGGER’S VIEW Parent bloggers are an inﬂuential part of the pre-school landscape. Each month, we ask a mummy or daddy blogger to write a special blog post for ToyNews, giving their views on the toy market.

This month: Jo Middleton I MUST admit that I’ve never had masses of patience when it comes to ‘playing’ with children. I’m happy to sit down to a game of Monopoly or hand of rummy, but playing shops or make believe leaves me a bit cold. I was interested then to chat to my daughter Bee, now aged 18, about her memories of the games we played together. So Bee, what games or toys do you remember most vividly from your childhood? I had a Duplo zoo. I liked it because you didn’t have to build the zoo or the animals, only the sign that went above the entrance to the zoo. Never quite had the construction skills required for real LEGO. I also had a wooden train set. It was fun but I didn’t really have the construction skills for that either. I had a toy baby which I liked but I sometimes gave it too much of the tough love, which is how I learned my life motto:

VTech aims to be a market leader in dolls Ambitious company believes that new Little Love range can be “one of the best selling toys within the doll sector” By Billy Langsworthy VTECH HOPES to become a market leader in the doll category following the launch of its Little Love Baby Doll. The doll can speak over 100 words, sing ten melodies and has over 80 phrases, and the ﬁrm is conﬁdent that it can

“You can never un-hit a baby.” Sorry toy baby. Do you remember me taking an active role in any of the games you played? No. Not much else I can say there. How important do you think it is for parents to be involved in their children’s play and how should this be balanced with letting children make up their own games and develop their own imagination? I think that parents should be involved with their child’s play when they are asked to, i.e. if the child wants them to be a character in their game of shops or something. But it’s also important that children learn that you can’t just play with them all the time because you are busy as well. It’s nice to set children activities to do, like “can you please draw me a nice picture” or “see how quickly you can do this jigsaw puzzle” because then they feel like you’re still involved even if you’re really doing something else. It’s drastically different for children these days compared to when I was younger; even toddlers just want to play on tablets or watch TV. It’s important to monitor their time with gadgets and make sure they spend time letting their imagination grow with games they have invented themselves. You have to let them think up their own ideas of how to occupy themselves when they say “I’m bored.” Check out more from Jo Middleton online: www.slummysinglemummy.com and on Twitter @mummyblogger.

52 May

be the perfect product to launch it into this sector. “We would like to be one of the best selling toys within the doll sector and are conﬁdent following some great initial feedback from retailers and hopeful sales forecasts,” Charlotte Johnson, senior brand manager at VTech, told ToyNews. “At VTech we are constantly introducing new and exciting technology into traditional play patterns. In the same way that we have entered bath toys, infant, youth electronics and cameras and become market leaders, we now hope to do the same within the dolls category. “We don’t want to be over conﬁdent as we

understand that the doll market is highly competitive with some excellent ranges, but we are going to work extremely hard to become successful.” VTech is backing the range with strong retail support. It believes that the Little Love line will target a gap in the doll category which currently exists in the pre-school sector of the market. “The Little Love range is entering the zero to two year gap in the market, bringing with it the innovation and quality of play that we are known for in our toys,” added Johnson. “Alongside the launch we will provide strong retail support within the doll aisles, to help retailers with expanding their existing doll offering.” VTech: 01235 555545

PL-UG success ‘shows no signs of slowing down’ By Billy Langsworthy ASOBI’S PL-UG, a construction toy that allows children to build any den anywhere, has enjoyed a “phenomenal” response since launch. PL-UG was introduced to the trade at Toy Fair and Asobi has since enjoyed repeat orders from a range of retailers. “Since launch, the interest from journalists and retailers has been phenomenal and it certainly shows no signs of slowing down,” said David Bottomley, commercial director at Asobi. “The construction kits were snapped up by John Lewis straight away, along with some other

great retailers, and we have already had repeat orders and some fantastic consumer reviews extoling the quality of the product.” There are three different kits available in the form of an Entry kit, a Mid kit and a Premium Kit, but PL-UG co-founder Ben Callicott is now planning the next wave of PL-UG. “We have been overwhelmed with the

response to PL-UG from both retailers and customers since launching in February, and we’re thrilled to reinvent the tradition of den building,” Callicott told ToyNews. “We can’t wait to see what the future brings as we already have some exciting plans in place for the next generation of PLUG products.” Asobi: 01628 200077

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SUPPLIER PROFILE

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In its nine years, Bigjigs Rail has become the ﬁrm’s most popular line. Now, new packaging and a cast of characters is expected to take the range to the next level. Robert Hutchins explores the brand making tracks worldwide this year IT’S BEEN a year in the making and has undergone the most rigorous scrutiny from the company’s top bods. But Bigjigs Toys is now ready to unveil its re-branded Bigjigs Rail portfolio to the industry, with new packaging, refreshed merchandising solutions and a collection of new characters. Since the brand’s inception in 2005, Bigjigs Rail has steamed ahead to become one of the ﬁrm’s most popular ranges, ‘championed for its high quality, play value and educational natures.’ In its nine years, the range has grown to over 150 lines, incorporating train tables, expansion packs and accessories, as well as licensed products from the National Rail Museum and Virgin Trains. Boasting a portfolio of retailers spanning over 35 countries across the globe, it’s no surprise that Bigjigs has decided that the time is now for its big streamlining refresh. “Previously we had over 100 different box sizes,” Bigjigs’ marketing and PR coordinator, George Poole, tells ToyNews. “This caused a real headache for retailers merchandising the products, as well as a problem for us shipping boxes out.”

www.toynews-online.biz

With its newly designed packaging, the ﬁrm is now expecting the re-brand to take the Bigjigs Rail range to the next level. “The brand has consistently performed well since it was introduced to our portfolio, and we achieved record sales last year,” continues Poole. “With the introduction of characters who will be used in the brand’s narrative aimed towards both parents and children, we

with two new distributors for the Rail range signed across Cyprus and Malta, and more in the pipeline for 2014. Of course, Bigjigs’ efforts don’t simply end with a new cast of characters. The toy company is also supporting retailers in a variety of ways, including ‘major changes to the packaging.’ The ﬁrm has added several key features, including modular packaging and multiple

The characters will enhance the brand’s personality, and offer the brand longevity. George Poole, Bigjigs are expecting to increase these positive results.” The collection of new characters includes Station Master Sam, Ticket Officer Jonathan, Conductor Carrie and Archie the Dog. “The characters will enhance the brand’s personality, as well as offer the brand longevity and the ability to open up into other avenues,” explains Poole. “We are hoping this translates into more retailers, distributors and ultimately sales.” Early signs are already suggesting that the ﬁrm is in for a “great year”

selling faces, with merchandising solutions based on requirements. Poole continues: “The changes will allow our retailers to create powerful and engaging presence in store, while offering easy merchandising solutions.” Bigjigs Toys has also re-launched its website to incorporate a stockists page, allowing consumers to ﬁnd their nearest

retailer and will support shops with in-store display competitions, giveaways and its new Retailer of the Month scheme. “As part of our commitment to growing the Bigjigs brand, we will be undertaking a number of branding and marketing initiatives to help maximise the presence out of store,” says Poole. “This includes a new website, social media accounts, and becoming part of the Play Patrol bloggers scheme.” Embracing digital marketing, Bigjigs Rail’s new packaging will also feature QR codes linking back to the Rail website, showing videos of the products working in context. Boxes will also include Cut and Play templates that can be incorporated into a railway set.

“These marketing initiatives ensure that the Bigjigs Rail brand is easy to recall when consumers are making their purchase decision,” explains Poole. “They also allow us to engage and have conversations with our audience, creating positive brand perceptions and relationships.” Bigjigs Toys is already reporting an “overwhelming reaction” from the industry to its re-brand. Encouraged by the positive response from distributors, retailers and consumers alike, the ﬁrm has revealed it now has plans to re-design its entire toy range. “This will be a rolling change rather than a job lot,” continues Poole. “We will follow a similar guide as the Rail range, offering retailers modularity and easier merchandising solutions. “The ﬁrst range will be the new Bigjigs Baby products, with others to follow suit in the near future,” he concludes.

May 55

SECTOR GUIDE: ACTION, BUILDING, BLASTING & MORE VTECH

Toys

with

teeth

Times are changing and the market formerly known as ‘boys’ is evolving with them. This month, Robert Hutchins looks at the toys to get kids collecting, exploring and building. And some of them have a real bite, too

New for 2014, VTech introduces its Switch and Go Dinos Turbo range, featuring dinosaur characters with ﬂywheel design. By running the dinosaur vehicles along any ﬂat surface, kids will be able to charge them up and see them race up to 20 feet. Leading the Dinos Turbo assortment are Zipp the T-Rex, Dart the Triceratops, Spur the Stegosaurus, Fray the Ankylosaurus, Cruz the Spinosaurus and Spinner the Stygimoloch. Featuring over 25 sounds and phrases, each character offers dinosaur facts and sounds, plus car sound effects for when transformed into the vehicle mode.

“Converting between the two different modes helps your child develop motor skills, while the sounds and facts help promote imaginative and independent play,” said a VTech spokesperson. Fuelling the action of the range, VTech has also released the Switch and Go Dinos Turbo T-Rex Launcher. Kids are able to place the T-Rex in the launcher, either as a dinosaur or a racer, press the handle down to charge it up, push the launch button and watch it speed away, launching to over 20 feet. The mouth of the dinosaur launcher is also adjustable to accommodate all Switch and Go Dinos Turbo either in dinosaur mode or racer mode.

Completing the ﬁrm’s lineup is the Triceratops Deluxe Launcher Play-set, featuring an exclusive Triceratops vehicle, launcher and volcano play-set. Aimed at children aged three to eight, the play-set also includes an erupting volcano, ﬁring plastic lava pieces into the air when a dinosaur racer is driven under it. Meanwhile, the current Switch and Go Dino favourites continue to perform throughout the year, including Lex the T-Rex, Commander Clade the Velociraptor and the Mega T-Rex. The Switch and Go Dinos will be supported with TV advertising in key periods throughout the year. 01235 555 545

Bloks World Builders construction toy line features John Deere, Caterpillar, Jeep and NYPD. For the collectors, and Mega Bloks’ successful Halo line is refreshed this year with over 20

new items including Mega Bloks Halo UNSC Remote Control Attack Mantis, featuring a wireless remote control weapons system and multiple rocket launchers. Finally, the company’s Call Of Duty Collector Construction Sets welcome new additions Call Of Duty Mob Of The Dead Alcatraz, as well as the Zombies TranZit Farm House and Heavy Lift Copter. 01844 350 033

MEGA BRANDS This year, Mega Brands has further developed its portfolio to include the futuristic video games property, Halo alongside further popular licences. Set to launch in autumn, the new Mega Bloks Kapow features Battling Blok Bots all over eight inches tall. Also preparing for an autumn launch is the Mega Bloks SpongeBob SquarePants collectable ﬁgures and buildable playsets, including Mega Bloks SpongeBob SquarePants Krusty Krab Play-set and Invisible Boatmobile Rescue. Meanwhile, the toy company is bringing speed and action to the Mega Bloks portfolio with its Hot Wheels line, featuring Mega Bloks Hot Wheels Turbo Tubes with new buildable vehicles, collectable ﬁgures

CHARACTER OPTIONS Character Options will be launching the Twelfth Doctor Who action ﬁgure this autumn, with a line of new villains following. The ﬁrm is driving Minecraft mania with new Paper Craft Sets plus Stink Bugz, a line of nine characters with their own stench. 0161 633 9800 www.toynews-online.biz

and custom parts, plus monster trucks Mega Bloks Hot Wheels Baja Bone Shaker and Dune It Up. Furthering the portfolio of popular licences is Mega Bloks’ Skylanders collection with new buildable Mega Bloks Skylanders Spinners, alongside the Hero Figure Packs and buildable play-sets, including Mega Bloks Skylanders Cut throat Carnival and Pirate Cove. Mega Bloks Power Rangers features a collection of ﬁgures, from Super Megaforce micro action ﬁgures through to easy to build Zords and MegaZords, while the Mega

ASOBI Asobi is encouraging den building and outdoor play this season with the introduction of its new range, PL-UG. A British born product, the PL-UG concept allows children to build any den they imagine by attaching the PL-UG components to the world around them. There are currently seven

MATTEL components to choose from including connector discs, rods, suction cups, clamps, pegs and hooks, all compatible with each other. Children can attach the components to different objects such as chairs, tables, trees and benches among others in order to create their ideal den. 01628 200 077

April saw Mattel launch into the blaster market with BOOMco featuring signature Smart Stick Darts, Shields and Targets. The range launched with the support of TV advertising, including sponsorship with Cartoon Network. Other initiatives include a digital partnership with Bin Weevils.

The Hot Wheels brand continues, with its Race to Connect campaign and Catch the Gold Car promotion running through to July. This autumn/winter the toy range will see the launch of Super Loop Chase Race, Track Builder double Boost Bi-way and a range of Basic Die-cast Cars. 01628 500 000 May 57

SECTOR GUIDE: ACTION, BUILDING, BLASTING & MORE LEGO A successful launch of LEGO Legends of Chima and strong performance from classic lines such as LEGO City, contributed to a very satisfactory annual result last year, reports LEGO. 2013 saw LEGO City, LEGO Duplo, LEGO Technic and LEGO Creator each grow by double digits. This year The Legends of Chima story and products will further develop, not only with play-sets but also in the digital world, using apps, online videos and games. Meanwhile, the LEGO Group has embarked on a new franchise, partnering with Cartoon Network to launch Mixels this year. Released in three waves, the brand introduces construction to the collectables market, with

each Mixel featuring up to 70 pieces of LEGO. The ﬁrst ever LEGO theatrical release, The LEGO Movie has proven a worldwide success, and is currently the biggest ﬁlm release of the year. LEGO has now launched 13 The LEGO Movie sets, featuring characters and scenes from the blockbuster. LEGO Technic is now the 11th largest construction property, delivering £8 million in 2013, while LEGO Star Wars now enters its 15th year and is the number one Star Wars property with a 63 per cent share of the toy licence. This autumn will see a new Darth Vader theme bridging the gap between The Clone Wars series and the new Rebels programming starting this

year. The new range will include Microﬁghters, Great Vehicles and hero products including Imperial Star Destroyer and The Ghost. The fourth largest LEGO property, LEGO Superheroes sees new additions under the LEGO Marvel umbrella, with offerings for Captain

TOONSTAR TOYS Toonstar Toys are vinyl collectable ﬁgures based on cartoon caricatures, inspired by cultural icons of movie, TV and music. Based on the creations of the UK clothing company, Toonstar, the characters have been brought to the world of toys. The designs feature iconic entertainment celebrities from the 1980s

DKL DKL is the distributor of Hama Beads and has several new sets. The top selling bead brand now includes the Space Small Gift box, a new Football set and the popular Bead and Pegboards. The Hama range carries competitive price points, with entry prices of £2.50. 01604 678 786 58 May

America, Spider-man and Guardians of the Galaxy and four new Batman sets in the LEGO DC Universe. LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has introduced new sets this year to reﬂect the classic TV series and the new movie which is

scheduled for later on in 2014, while LEGO: The Hobbit features a library of characters and settings from the ﬁlm trilogy. Finally, new independent play themes include Ultra Agents, while established ranges such as Ninjago and Hero Factory remain popular. May 1st, meanwhile, will see the release of the much anticipated The Simpsons 25th Anniversary Miniﬁgures. 01753 495 000

JOHN ADAMS up to today, including caricatures from The A Team, Reservoir Dogs, the Big Bang Theory, Game of Thrones and more. Toonstar Toys boasts a portfolio of over 200 characters, aimed at consumers and collectors of all ages. The pop culture style collectables stand at three inches high with

movable arms and heads, while random ﬁgures come supplied with accessories from the armoury. The ﬁgures are supplied in stylish window boxes with ID card and shelf ready packaging. Following the success of Breaking Bad, along with Ghostbusters and Pulp Fiction celebrating their 30th anniversaries this year, Toonstar Toys is releasing its Evolution, Spirit Hunters and Hitmen lines this August. Toonstar products are not endorsed by or associated with the subject of the caricature. 07875 313 890

TOMY New developments in the Battroborg range sees each Warrior Borg come with a refreshed wireless hand controller. Available in two new styles, the new Warrior Borgs also feature weapons, including the single or double blade. In its John Deere collection, Tomy introduces the new Monster Treads

Shake and Sounds Tractor, retailing at £18.99. Finally, the Pokémon line features new items like the Trainer Gloves with Sound, the Clip n Carry Poké Ball, the Clip n Carry Poké Ball Belt, Catch n Return Poké Ball, the Pokémon Trainer’s Kalos Region Pokedex and the Battle Ready Pikachu. 0208 722 7300

John Adams is championing its branded ranges, with products from the likes of Domino Express, Pro Deck and Action Science. The Domino Express stunt kits combine stacking with tumbling and a variety of 3D stunt accessories. The range features ﬁve sets, including the Crazy Factory, available from May.

Meanwhile, ProDeck enables kids to create mini deck skateboards, and play with them on their own skate park. The ﬁve in one workshop comes with material for ten boards, while the new ProDeck longboard can be clipped to the main workshop or used on its own. 01480 414 361

HOBBY COMPANY From the Hobby Company, Carrera Toys is bringing Mario Kart 7 to the world of slot and radio control. Carrera has been making slot racing products for over 50 years and the Austrian ﬁrm is leading the way for entry level racing, with a portfolio of licensed RC vehicles. Nintendo’s favourite plumber is now available with the Carrera RC Mario Kart

7, four RC karts featuring Mario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Bowser. Each features characters that move with the steering. The Carrera RC range features 2.4 GHz Servo Tronic and multi steering and speed control. Meanwhile, the Carrera Go Slot Racing Mario Kart 7 line features Mario and Luigi karts, as well as ﬁve metres of track, including a dynamic loop, ﬂyover and lap counter. 01908 605 686

www.toynews-online.biz

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SECTOR GUIDE: ACTION, BUILDING, BLASTING & MORE GOLDEN BEAR high and low speed racing modes. Cars can be raced on a low level for controlled play, or they can be given a boost with the higher

Golden Bear has a host of well known brands available including vehicle collections, Dennis the Menace and a new line of early construction from My First JCB. Go Mini welcomes new additions this year, with the Twin Turbo Raceway’s

setting, testing control at speed. Moving on, and leading the Go Mini range is the RC

Wolf Rally Car, featuring lights and sounds that are activated by the steering wheel remote handset Joining the range are the new Power Boost Racers, styled on a high speed race track car. The new vehicles feature bright graphics and a power boost button for short, medium and long distances. Golden Bear is also now working with Volkswagen on a new collection of iconic Beetles and Campervans. The vehicles combine laid back motoring with speed and style, and each vehicle is fully customisable using the themed sticker sheets. In addition, the V-Dubs RC

Roll Over Beetle features ‘extreme styling.’ 2014 has also seen the new addition of the innovative Farting Football to Golden Bear’s Dennis the Menace collection, joining the range of jokes and pranks already available. The Farting Football was launched at Toy Fair back in January and is already proving popular with fans of Dennis and Gnasher. Finally, My First JCB will also see a major refresh for 2014, with a new colourful and durable product range. The newly refreshed brand targets the younger preschool age range. The collection will be led by the new Big Wheelers range featuring Joey JCB and Doug Dumptruck. 01952 608 308

to collect 30 different mini ﬁgures, each coming with a collector’s card and bearing

a special Transformers 30th anniversary logo. 01273 230 037

PALADONE

MARBEL with new products due Marbel Toys is highlighting to launch this year, with its newly launched line of Christmas lines and a new collectables this season, large Titanic boat with over called OiDroids. 1,400 pieces. The collectable, buildable and pop out robots do not require Stacey Thornton any glue or tape to Marketing Exec assemble. Arriving in Marbel packs of four, 12 or 40, the ﬁrm believes The boys category is OiDroids are set to going from strength become ‘the next to strength for Marbel playground craze’. with the new Oidroids The collection range. It looks good also comes with a and distribution is downloadable app, growing. which offers both children and collectors a virtual reality game. The RRP of the four To coincide with the -pack is £1.99, the 12-pack release of Planes 2, the is £4.99 and the 40-pack retails for £14.99. ﬁgurine brand Bully Land is Meanwhile, the series launching an assortment of Japanese micro size of Planes characters. Each building blocks, Nanoblocks will retail at £4.99. continues to expand 0845 6000 286

“

”

Paladone is a newcomer to the Toymaster catalogue this year, having signed with the group following on from its successful appearance at the London Toy Fair earlier in the year. 2014 sees the launch of licensed toys, accessories and puzzles for Thunderbirds, My Little Pony and Sonic the Hedgehog. And following reports from Paladone of an enthusiastic response from buyer’s at this year’s trade fairs, the ﬁrm believes “the fully playable Rubik’s Cube Light looks set to become the big hit for 2014”. Paladone is also the exclusive distributor within the UK for this year’s anniversary launch of Transformers ﬁgurines. The company is now offering kids and fans the chance

FLAIR For Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans, Flair has new role-play additions with the Inﬂatable Training Hands and a Turtle Dojo Bag. Action ﬁgures, meanwhile, are bolstered with Battle Shell Turtles. The WWE StackDown construction sets will offer fans new ways to build their own WWE universe, starting 60 May

BANDAI with the WWE StackDown Starter Sets, including one WWE Superstar and over 70 pieces to build. The Battle Brawlin’ Ring Play-set is at the centre of the range. Gormiti is reborn with 10cm articulated ﬁgures of the Princes of Gorm, while Timargo arrives from the creators of Robo Fish. 020 8643 0320

Summer sees the launch of Power Rangers Super Megaforce, featuring 12.5cm Rangers, vehicles, role-play toys and new Megazords. Bandai also introduces new products for Digimon Fusion, Ben 10 Omniverse and Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures. 08456 028 782 www.toynews-online.biz

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SECTOR GUIDE: ACTION, BUILDING, BLASTING & MORE

Paul Fogarty UK MD K’Nex

K’NEX The K’Nex UK re-launch continues, underpinned by a focus on the building system’s scale and movement. A heavyweight, 360 degree marketing campaign is underway to support the product offering, including a new TV ad hitting screens in July, as well as print and online activity. Among the line-up of K’Nex building tubs are the new 35 Model and 70 Model Building sets, along with the new 52 Model Building Set tub. K’Nex themed building sets also include the Transport Chopper and 4 Wheel Drive Assortment, each with over 300 pieces, motors and lights. Each set also includes downloadable instructions for further creations.

“K’Nex brings with it the

The popular K’Nex Thrill Rides collection offers kids the chance to build their own amusement parks with large scale rides. This year, six new coasters join the line-up, among which is the Typhoon Frenzy Roller Coaster Building Set, with 641 pieces to construct the 19-foot swirling track. Young builders can join in the action with the award winning Tinkertoy pre-school construction system, new for this summer. K’Nex Education is also a new range launching this year. The second half of the year will see the launch of the Plants Vs Zombies range, as well as building sets and ﬁgures supporting the 2014 hit video game brand, Titanfall. Further licences include Super Mario,

Angry Birds, Family Guy and Pac-Man. “One of the key strengths of K’Nex is that it has a broad appeal across a wide variety of audiences both in terms of gender and age,” K’Nex UK’s MD, Paul Fogarty, tells ToyNews. “The boys market though is of huge importance to us and the landscape certainly plays a key part in our thinking when it comes to product development and marketing. “K’Nex brings with it the opportunity to create inviting in-store theatre with eye catching movement-based displays of varying sizes. The toy market competes with a lot of other child targeted industries, and creating a more engaging and

exciting store environment beneﬁts the whole toy industry.” 0118 925 3270

opportunity to create inviting in-store theatre with eye catching movement based displays. An exciting store environment beneﬁts the industry as a whole.”

SPIN MASTER Based on the popular How To Train You Dragon franchise, Spin Master introduces a collection of pocket money priced items alongside larger Plush Toothless, Action

hits cinemas this July, and to celebrate Spin Master will be launching a range of toys to replicate the action. Available from May 23rd,

Dragons with their individual action features and the best selling Mini Dragons. Other Dragons lines include the 22inch winged Giant Fire Breathing Toothless and the new Real Flying Toothless. How to Train Your Dragon 2

the line will include Power Dragons, a collection of dragons with secret transformations and features to add to the Action Dragons roleplay theme. This spring sees two new Meccano Multimodels join the Spin Master portfolio. The Three Model Set allows

GIBSONS GAMES Gibsons Games has plenty to keep puzzling fans entertained this season, with new additions to its popular ranges. Following the success of the nostalgic adult Beano puzzles, along with the release of CBBC’s Dennis and Gnasher animated series, Gibsons has released a contemporary 62 May

beginners to build a plane and more, while the more advanced builder can create a dump truck with the Ten Model Set. A further seven sets will be launched for autumn, including the 25 Model Set. Celebrating 15 years of ﬂying toys and having sold more than 65 million units, Air Hogs will be launching two new spring lines: the Titan and the Zip Wing glider. Autumn will also see a new TV item called the RollerCopter, a helicopter with a rolling cage that enables it to travel along ﬂoors, up walls and across ceilings. The Vectron Wave will also be making its return in the second half of the year, with a new design. The new Atmosphere Axis, meanwhile, will be

INTERPLAY Dennis the Menace children’s puzzle. It features images from the cartoon series based on the original comic strips from The Beano. Tailored for ages seven and up, the jigsaw depicts Dennis and the gang causing havoc and comes with special shaped pieces and a prank card. 0208 661 8866

For 2014, Wild Science arrives with a makeover, with new projects including Secret Spy and Exploding Volcano Workshops, sets designed to provide play while teaching about maths and chemistry. Meanwhile, the successful Hyperlauncher Rocket Ball Factory and the Weird Slime Lab continue to

be the main attraction for Wild Science. The Rivetz range continues into 2014 with the new Stealth Fighter and Pterodactyl kits. Completing the portfolio is the ﬁrm’s range of Technokits, encouraging kids to explore the world of technology and physics. 01628 488 944

supported by heavyweight TV advertising. Further more, the popular interactive puppy, Zoomer is back this year with twice as many tricks as its 2013 edition. Spin Master is also preparing to launch its next generation of tech pet – Boomer – an interactive dinosaur with hand control and sensors. Boomer also features roaring sounds and chomping mouth movements. Finally, the toy ﬁrm is encouraging kids to step into the world of role-play with its new Minecraft Box Heads. The range features popular Minecraft characters Steve, Enderman and Creeper, while the Minecraft plush ﬁgures will see Ghast and Spider join the line-up. 01628 535 000

HEXBUG / INNOVATION FIRST Hexbug Battle Spiders are controlled via infrared and feature futuristic voices, sound effects and a sensor. The ﬁrm also has Aquabot 2.0 and Zombie Aquabot, plus further Hexbug Warriors and Nanos, Strandbeast and Vex Robotics. 01925 453 144 www.toynews-online.biz

SECTOR GUIDE: ACTION, BUILDING, BLASTING & MORE ZEON CHARACTER “This year is an exciting one for Zeon Character in terms of the boys market sector,” the company conﬁdently informs ToyNews. “We have an ever growing stable of licences that appeal to boys of all ages.” Leading the way for the company this year is a portfolio of new properties, such as The Amazing SpiderMan 2 and Strange Hill High, offering the company the chance to broaden its product offering. Meanwhile, perennial giants Star Wars, Marvel, Disney and Doctor Who continue to go from strength to strength for Zeon Character. Moving on, and upcoming CGI animated series Star Wars Rebels is scheduled to air in the autumn.

The show will aim to introduce a whole new generation to the ﬁght against the Empire. “Coupled with the release of Star Wars Episode VII in 2015, the [Star Wars] franchise is set to go into hyper drive,” the Zeon company spokesperson continues. And to celebrate, Zeon Character is releasing a range of Star Wars Rebels watches and torches. Marvel, meanwhile, continues to produce blockbusters, each generating new interest in its line of superheroes. “Zeon Character’s Marvel Avengers watches, mugs and phone cases are looking to be extremely popular with children and collectors alike,” says the ﬁrm.

The company is also championing the growing popularity of Cartoon Network’s quirky Adventure Time property. “The response from the public and from buyers to the Adventure Time products is extraordinary. It is the type of licence that comes about once in a generation and appeals to absolutely everyone, no matter the age. “Adventure Time is a brand that sons and fathers will enjoy together,” the company concludes. 020 8208 1833

SAMBRO Sambro has a range of brand new toys and games this year, including the new Zed the Zombie Game. The Unrest in

64 May

JOHN CRANE Pieces Game sees Zed the zombie rise from the grave in his numerous pieces. Players must activate the timer on the base unit and then race against the clock to put Zed’s body parts and accessories back together.

Players then hit the stop button once Zed is complete. However, if time runs out, Zombie parts will ﬂy everywhere. Zed the Zombie is aimed at ages four and upwards. Joining Sambro’s portfolio is an array of popular licences including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sonic the Hedgehog. The company is offering fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles a range of branded games. These include the Catapult Pizza game and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Arcade Pinball Game, which recently featured on ITV’s This Morning. With electronic lights and sounds and a double ﬂipper, Sambro states the Pinball Game has ‘everything needed for players to truly master this iconic game.’ The Pinball Game also features an electronic scoreboard, to allow for multiple player challenges For Sega fans, meanwhile, the company has also released a Sonic the Hedgehog Pinball Machine. 0845 873 9380

John Crane boasts an array of new toys for this season. Leading the way is the Fire Station Set from Tidlo. Featuring a fire fighter’s pole and ringing bell, the set also comes with a removable roof for easy access to play, as well as a fire training tower, sloping ramp and swing open doors. Accessories featured with the set include two lockers, a control desk and chair, a bunk bed, a movable antenna and three fires to put out. Alongside the Fire Station set, Tidlo has also introduced a Firefighter Set and Fire Engine

Set. The sets include four firefighters, with bendy arms and legs along with an axe, megaphone, fire extinguisher and breathing equipment. Also from Tidlo is the new Workbench. The tool bench comes complete with 43 accessories and tools, including a hammer, screwdriver and spanner. 01604 774 949

VIVID Following the success of the popular CBBC series, Strange Hill High, Vivid Imaginations is launching a range of collectible toys this month. The range will feature popular characters from the show in Blind Bags (£1.99), Triple Packs (£5.99) and special lockers ﬁlled with goo (£3.99).

Further collectable ranges available from the company heading into the second half of the year include The Hobbit Trilogy blind bags and ﬁgures. Finally, Disney Wikkeez includes over 50 characters in series one, with Vivid launching four core skus for the autumn. 01483 449 944 www.toynews-online.biz

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SECTOR GUIDE: ACTION, BUILDING, BLASTING & MORE SIMBA SMOBY This year, Simba Smoby is taking on the boys market with its much anticipated new collection of Matt Hatter Chronicles toys. In the year that Simba Smoby is looking to see a resurgence in the boys’ category, Matt Hatter is one of the highest rating boys’ shows on TV. Seasons one and two have already been a solid success, while this autumn

WOW TOYS show’s hero ﬁgures, as well as immersive role-play toys, vehicles, collectibles and SuperVillain action ﬁgures. In addition, Simba Smoby is also encouraging collectability of the range. The interactive products will unlock new features as children build up their

Children will also be able to play games online and explore the Matt Hatter universe in conjunction with the toy line. Key to the partnership will be Multivision, which is Matt Hatter’s 3D view of the world around him. With 3D capability built into the

Wow Toys has been producing vehicles for under fives since 1997. With mechanical push and go motors and trigger pull propellers, the company’s vehicles do not require any batteries. Other special features are also included, such as secret compartments, push buttons and engine sounds. With sturdy design, each Wow toy is built for durability, says the firm. There are more than 70 products in the range covering Adventure, Emergency, Fantasy and Construction themes. New for this year is the mini Wow range, Wow Eggs, the My Pocket Friends blind bags and RSPCA licensed range, all for kids aged one to five.

The mini Wow range features a collection of miniaturised push-along vehicles. Wow Eggs, meanwhile, welcomes My Chirping Chick and Dinky Dino, each with detachable eggs that reveal an animal ﬁgure inside. Finally, My Pocket Friends blind bags feature My Pocket Friends Rescue and Fairytale packets, containing one of six Wow ﬁgures as well as an activity booklet. 020 7471 0980

H GROSSMANS

will see the launch of season three on ITV. Believed by the company to be the next big brand in boys TV licensing, the initial Matt Hatter product collection will focus on the

collection. The Matt Hatter Chronicles range will be supported by a heavyweight TV campaign, delivering over 1,000 TVRs, alongside live events and a supportive digital environment.

collection, Simba Smoby is aiming to unlock never before seen Multivision footage from the popular television series. The Matt Hatter Chronicles toy line will be available from mid-July, ahead of the season three premiere on ITV in early autumn. 01274 765 030

How to Train Your Dragon 2 opens at cinemas in the summer and H Grossmans has a full range of Dragon merchandise. This includes scooters, trikes, bikes, skateboards, inline skates, helmets and pogo sticks. Additional ranges will include tents and chairs, as well as pocket money toys

including skittles, yo-yos, discs, gliders and ﬁzz pods. Grossmans is also welcoming a new licence to its portfolio this year, with a collection of Horrid Henry tricks, all at pocket money price points. Completing the portfolio is the ﬁrm’s Elektra line, plus the hit Megasaurs. 0141 613 2525

JUMBO GAMES Jumbo Games EVA giant foam floor puzzles join the pre-school selection this spring, with popular licences including Disney’s Jake and The Never Land Pirates, Planes and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Each foam floor puzzle includes nine giant pieces that are brightly coloured and endurable, allowing for play both indoors and out. Different puzzles can be combined to create one large floor puzzle. This year, Jumbo also boasts numerous games and puzzles under licence from DC, engaging boys and preschoolers with the collection of popular DC Super Heroes. Leading the range is the 35-piece Batman puzzle assortment, which is joined by the DC Super Friends 66 May

35-piece puzzle assortment. Meanwhile, following the successful launch of the football collectible, SoccerSuckers, Jumbo Games is continuing to build hype for the brand ahead of this year’s World Cup. The range of football collectables are aimed at both kids and parents alike, each featuring a 3D premier league player from one of the ﬁve leading teams: Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur. SoccerSuckers arrive contained inside a football capsule. On the back of each player is a sucker which can be stuck to any clean and glossy surface, allowing children to build up their own football team. 01707 289 289 www.toynews-online.biz

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MARIO

SECTOR GUIDE: DOLLS

Doll play

As a toy category featuring some of the industry’s most successful brands, characters and products, dolls is thriving. Billy Langsworthy takes a look at some of the most eagerly anticipated launches heading to shelves this year

MGA/ZAPF CREATION MGA Entertainment is boosting several of its girls doll brands with new additions and launches this year. Lalaloopsy is welcoming a new button-sized collectable line this autumn, which will introduce over 100 new characters into the brand family. The range also includes themed play-sets for additional play value. This new line will be backed by TV, PR, digital and merchandising. The Lalaloopsy Babies range also continues to grow this autumn with the addition of the new nurturing doll that includes a surprise charm feature. Each doll boasts a huggable body and comes with a bottle, dummy and hat. These new additions will see the Lalaloopsy range increase to over 50 dolls and the Lalaloopsy Littles line expand to over 24. The Moxie Girlz brand will launch new themes in autumn, with baking, creativity and hair play themes on the way. Each range aims to encourage girls to ‘reach for

their dreams’ and embrace their individuality through ‘self-expression, friendships and fashion’. The UK’s leading baby doll manufacturer – Zapf Creation – continues to add products to its two market leading large doll brands this autumn. Brand leader Baby Annabell continues to build on the success of 2013 with innovative new products including a fresh Baby Annabell doll that has a rocking feature and new rocking cradle.

Autumn will also see the launch of Baby Annabell Learns to Walk, a completely new doll that aims to help children understand the processes that go into learning something new for the very ﬁrst time. Launched this spring, Mooshka is a line of soft dolls, which will welcome an interactive singing themed doll later this year. The autumn Mooshka additions will also be supported by TV activity. Baby born will be hitting the small screen later this

Classic Tiny Tears Interactive will cry tears when the button on her back is pressed and when children decide to potty train her, they can be sit here down on her potty to see her ‘go’. The doll comes complete with a bottle, bib, potty and nappy and has already won a ‘Best New Toy’ Award in the doll category at London Toy Fair. Classic Tiny Tears Interactive will be available in July and supported by an all new TV campaign. Elsewhere, the Girls World Styling Head continues to perform strongly in

the John Adams’ girls’ portfolio. Featuring growing hair tresses, the Styling Head allows girls to create their own individual hair styles using the different accessories included.

year with three new adverts. A bathtime themed ad will showcase three Baby born Interactive accessories: Baby born Interactive Bathtub, Baby born Interactive Potty and Baby born Interactive Vanity Wash Basin. The second theme will have a medical focus and will reveal the Baby born Medical Laptop

and Doctor Bed. The ﬁnal theme will be princess related and will feature a new Baby born Princess Bed. Zapf Creation’s Chou Chou brand is also expanding this year with the launch of the new Chou Chou My First Tooth doll, with its baby teething theme. Another key autumn TV focus is the My Model Styling Head. This product offers style gurus of the future a range of make-up and hairrelated play. 0845 0533 333

JOHN ADAMS This year, John Adams is giving its Tiny Tears brand a makeover. The brand is embracing the latest technology with the new Classic Tiny Tears Interactive doll. Girls aged three years and over can press her belly to hear her laugh, cry or say ‘mama’. Children can also feed the doll with her drinking bottle, which will make her create drinking sounds. When the doll has ﬁnished feeding, children can take the bottle away to hear her emit a satisﬁed burp just like a real baby. www.toynews-online.biz

Girls can also add in colourful extensions, plait, braid and twist the hair into

any style they choose to create. Winner of the Right Start Best Toy Awards 2013, Gabriella, the Girls World Style and Fashion Doll was introduced into the Girls World range last year. Gabriella measures 42cm in height with signature blonde stylable hair and accessories. Both dolls are being TV advertised for 2014 with comprehensive marketing and PR support. 01480 414361 May 69

SECTOR GUIDE: DOLLS FAMOSA The Nenuco brand has been on the market for more than 35 years and is the leading brand of baby dolls in Spain. This year will see Famosa push the Nenuco doll brand with a new lower price point for a range of popular accessories. The doll and play-set brand’s Mummy Bag changing set, Coloured Nappies, Basic Clothing and Nenuco Highchair will all fall under the £15 price point. This is a move that the company states adds weight to the brand message of ‘giving little girls the closest experience to playing mum’. Further set additions are planned for autumn/ winter. These will include interactive Nenuco Happy

Nikki Jeffery UK Marketing Manager Famosa

“We are thoroughly delighted

with how well the brand has been received at such an early stage of the launch and proud that the UK has followed in the footsteps of the huge international success Nenuco has already seen.”

and Nenuco Runny Nose complete with tissues and beaker. Nenuco ‘Learn to Eat’ and Nenuco ‘Sleep with Me Cradle’ sets continued to be

MATTEL Mattel’s Barbie style range is expanding with fashions inspired by the latest trends, while the Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse line is welcoming the Barbie Malibu House, Barbie Malibu Avenue Shops and the Barbie Family Camper, as well as Barbie’s Ultimate Closet.

SPIN MASTER The Flying Fairy by Flutterbye range will be expanded to include two new items. The Dance & Fly Fairy sits on a ‘scent bottle’ and when the string is pulled, she soars into the air. The new Surprise Butterﬂy Diary allows users to place the butterﬂy in the secret diary. 01628 535000 70 May

the focus of a heavyweight TV campaign throughout April, with frequent slots featuring on both satellite and terrestrial channels during the month. Famosa states that ‘the campaign has had a great response so far’, with the initiative remaining on TV screens until after Easter. The Nenuco dolls also boast a range of educational values including developing manual dexterity, promoting imitation of adult roles, stimulates a child’s use of language and promotes emotional development and the expression of feelings. The Nenuco ‘Won’t Eat’ doll picked up a Best New Toy accolade at this year’s Toy Fair in January in the dolls category. www.famosa.es

Hiccups, Nenuco Goes to School which comes with crayons and a notebook

FLAIR Barbie will also by celebrating her 150th career as Entrepreneur Barbie. This autumn sees a new term for the ghouls of Monster High, supported by the Scaremester Dolls and the release of new entertainment title, Freaky Fusion, backed with Fusion dolls, Hybrid dolls and a Frankie Re-Charge Accessory.

Ever After High will be celebrating Thronecoming in the autumn, where girls from around the world will be able to decide who will be their Thronecoming Queen and decide the end of the movie. This will be backed by a range including Cupid, Raven Queen, Apple White and Blondielocks. Mattel has a range of Frozen dolls and play-sets including the Frozen Ice Skating assortment of Princesses Anna and Elsa. The Sofia the First range, including Sofia’s Talking Castle and Talking Sofia and Animal Friends, will be welcoming new additions, while Disney Princess will introduce Rapunzel, Cinderella and Ariel Light Up Gem dolls and a Sleeping Beauty collection. 01628 500 000

A GIRL FOR ALL TIME Lydia, Your Georgian Girl is the latest addition to the range of historical play dolls, books and accessories in the A Girl for All Time collection. The age-appropriate, educational companion dolls have been designed to appeal to ‘modern, young girls’ aged from seven years and older.

Following on from last year’s success of Flair’s Doc McStuffins portfolio, the Time for your Check Up Interactive Doll (£39.99) featuring Doc and Lambie the sheep includes features such as songs and phrases, and a stethoscope. Doc McStuffins now comes in a pocket sized format with the Mini Clinic Play-set (£9.99). The mini doctor’s case includes a thermometer, a syringe, two casts for Lambie, a hidden book of ‘boo boos’ and an exclusive mini Doc and Lambie doll. The Soﬁa the First range has also been scaled down into a micro doll size. The Jewel themed Micro Play-sets collection features a Bracelet assortment (£6.99) and a

Ring & Earrings assortment (£8.99). The Bracelets come in three designs. Finally, when opened the Soﬁa the First Magical Amulet Play-set (£19.99) reveals a multi-layered micro world. There are many scenes to discover, with three micro dolls, movable parts, lights and sounds. 020 8643 0320

GREAT GIZMOS Lydia, Your Georgian Girl wears a yellow dress in the robe a l’angaise style. Children can dress her in additional historically-inspired costumes. There are three other dolls in the range: Matilda – Your Tudor Girl; Amelia – Your Victorian Girl; and Clementine – Your 1940s Girl, priced from £89.99. 020 7060 6151

Great Gizmos is welcoming a new addition to its NICI collection of super soft dolls in the form of Miniclara. The blonde-haired ballerina comes with a pink tutu, ballet pumps, a ﬂoral headband and a little kitten. Miniclara joins Minilina, Minilotta and Minilara in the range, and

all four dolls have their own unique identities, are machine washable and suitable from birth. Minilina is a blondehaired doll that can be accessorised with reversible clothing, Minilotta can be played with underwater and Minilara is a ginger-haired gardener doll. 01293 543221 www.toynews-online.biz

SECTOR GUIDE: DOLLS SIMBA SMOBY Simba Smoby, the third largest fashion doll supplier the UK, has seen its Steffi Love brand remain a bestseller for more than two decades. In 2014, Steffi will be the focus of a 360 degree marketing campaign encompassing TV advertising, online games and activities, social media and Steffi’s ﬁrst single release and music video. This will be followed throughout the autumn/ winter season with tours, concerts and live events. Steffi’s ﬁrst single, Real Good Time, will be released on August 2nd, and the accompanying music video will hit commercial radio, music TV and across the full range of kid’s television channels.

MARBEL Lottie dolls have been designed to look like children and represent childlike activities. Lottie dolls are ﬂexible, the arms, legs and head all move but the dolls can stand on their own. New to the dolls range this year are the Kawaii Karate doll, Pandora Box

DKL

At the same time, new Steffi products will come with exclusive access codes for kids to join Steffi’s exclusive online VIP club. Simba states that this is the ﬁrst time that such an aggressively priced property

‘Petitcollin is the only doll manufacturer left in France that is passionate about making dolls in a traditional way’. Petitcollin regularly invites customers to its factory to see the dolls being made. Due to the history of the brand, many people that have grown up playing with Petitcollin dolls now want to buy the dolls for their children and grandchildren, so that they can enjoy them too. Asobi states that ‘those who like the idea of their children playing with traditional dolls, wearing traditional clothes, which are made locally, Petitcollin’s lovely dolls are sure to be a hit.’ 01628 200 077

GOLDEN BEAR Golden Bear has a collection of dolls based on In the Night Garden character, Upsy Daisy. Budding muscians can play with Play a Tune Upsy Daisy and make music by pressing each note on Upsy Daisy’s skirt to make a tune, or press the pretty ﬂower button to activate a magical tune. 72 May

has been supported with such a comprehensive marketing campaign, while not compromising on the product quality and still offering a full margin to the retailer. 01274 765030

DKL is the UK distributor for Corolle. Each doll carries a vanilla scent, and they are available in both the Mademoiselle Corolle collection, ranging from 8, 14 and 17 inches tall, and the Mini Corolline pocket sized selection. The Corolle Les Cheries dolls are styled according

to the latest fashion trends. New for 2014 is the Camille Soiree Theatre doll, wearing a gold jacket with peplum detail along with a deep purple skirt and matching shoes. Also new to the Les Cherie collection is Clara Sunny Days. 01604 678786

VTECH

ASOBI Asobi is the UK distributor for Petitcollin, a ﬁrm that was founded in 1860. The company claims that

doll, Butterﬂy Protector doll, Lighthouse Keeper doll, Pirate Queen doll and Robot Girl doll. All are £16.99. Marbel also has Lottie accessory sets including new outﬁts and toys such as Seren the Pony and a Persian Cat. The accessory sets are £7.99. 0845 6000 286

VTech is entering the doll category this year with the arrival of VTech Little Love Baby Talk Doll. The voice activated Little Love Baby Doll can speak over 100 words, sing ten melodies and say over 80 phrases. The more children talk to it, the more the doll will learn and grow with them. There are four activity buttons to play with on baby’s bib which help to teach music, role play and nurturing skills and four pretend play activities for hours of fun. The doll also interacts with accessories such as a dummy, bottle and the VTech Little Love 3-in-1 Pushchair. The 3-in-1 Pushchair changes into a high chair, walker or stroller and cot.

The interactive components teach numbers, food names, counting, music and fun facts. The transformable pushchair tells stories, sings ten melodies

including familiar sing-along songs and 20 familiar soothing lullabies. 01235 555 545

VIVID The new Learn and Play Upsy Daisy, for children as young as ten months, has been designed to be a child’s ﬁrst doll. It boasts a rattle, button and laces, plus different textured fabrics to stimulate senses and help develop hand to eye co-ordination and ﬁne motor skills. 01952 608308

Vivid’s My Friend Cayla (£59.99) is an 18-inch doll which talks about herself, answers general knowledge questions and more. Cayla uses an app running on a smart device via a Bluetooth connection and communicates with the child with the help of a built-in microphone and speaker.

TOMY The doll boasts a database ﬁlled with details of her background and likes and dislikes for the child to explore. Vivid’s portfolio also includes Bear Valley Hills Club Chic dolls, Union J Collector’s Dolls and the One Direction Wave 4 12” Collector’s Dolls. 01483 449944

The My First Doll Maisie from Lamaze (£14.99) is a full fabric doll, with a detachable crinkly bib, ribbons and Velcro. The doll combines developmental features and brightly-coloured patterns and quality textured fabrics to stimulate the senses. 020 8722 7300 www.toynews-online.biz

OBSERVATIONS 0F A TOY INDUSTRY SURVIVOR

Jon Salisbury PRESS JUNKETS are the stuff of legend. Excessive bribery to get the humble journo to devote precious column inches to your service or product, or justiﬁable marketing tool? You decide. Now, I’m not going to make hollow excuses for accepting such hospitality during my career. Trade journalists are the most humble of the breed that peddle their prose for a living. We may not be national newspaper correspondents or TV reporters commanding huge readerships or audiences, but we are a vital cog in the press and publicity machine.

He-Man at the time, so the press got to accompany the buyers. On one trip, we were running late when our ﬂight landed in Nice so we had to jump in a helicopter to skip over the border to Monaco. Then there was the time when I joined the Argos buying team in the private LEGO jet to go to Billund. I even recall a press lunch for the launch of Diamond Dilemma by Price Stern Sloan, a devilish puzzle that was never going to be solved. Anyone ﬁnishing this three-dimensional conundrum could win £1 million and journalists on

Follow me on Twitter @jonsalisbury

Monaco by helicopter? Private jet to Billund to see LEGO? All in a day’s work for our columnist back in the Eighties

I do, however, have to confess that even I have been known to curry good favour with my own kind. Alcohol and good food were the order of the day at my media shows in London, but the American press disdained lunchtime booze in favour of insipid iced tea. I do love a nation that reserves the right to bear arms but won’t drink at lunchtime...

Alcohol and good food were the order of the day at media shows in London, but the American press disdained lunchtime booze in favour of iced tea. What trade magazines provide is instant access to your customer base and, that being the case, we get to beneﬁt from the kind of largesse that is given to retail buyers. For example, it was Monte Carlo or bust back in the more proﬂigate 1980s when money seemed to be no object. I got to go to Monaco twice in my early years as a toy journalist, one time even being presented with a wallet of gambling chips so that I could enjoy casino life. Mattel was celebrating the success of

the day were entered in a draw to win a diamond worth £1,000. I can remember sitting there with my ﬁngers and toes crossed that my name would come out of the hat. Unlike today, mortgage interest rates were yoyoing all over the place and, as a lowly employee, a grand would have been very handy. These were among the acceptable tactics used to woo the press, but thank goodness the era of the brown envelope has long since passed.

Jon Salisbury has written about the toy business since 1985, editing magazines and running toy media events in New York and London. He can be contacted at jonsalisbury@icloud.com or @JonSalisbury

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74 May

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